The Swan Princess
by BlueStarlightSwan
Summary: When a beautiful, mysterious girl with the ability to turn into a swan places her trust in him, Reisi Munakata knows that he will do anything to protect the brave, yet vulnerable and innocent young princess from those who threaten her, while both of them embrace the love that neither of them can deny...
1. Dawn at the Lake

_The dream came to her in the early hours of dawn, the time when dreams were said to real._

 _In her dream, it seemed to be nighttime, and she was surrounded by a mist while in the middle of a lake, silence thick in the air. She didn't know whether to be afraid or not, but she could feel **something.**_

 _Suddenly, the shadows were illuminated by a soft blue light that seemed to become brighter until it was almost blinding, and when she looked around, she noticed that the mist was starting to part. Relieved, she inched closer towards the opening, and saw something that she never thought that she would see again._

 _Up in the sky was a bright blue beam of light that formed into a crystalline spear that seemed to dissolve in a downward spiral that revealed a glowing, rapier like object with a bright sapphire center, pinpoints of azure starlight seeming to herald its appearance._

 ** _The Sword of Damocles._**

 _She felt her heart flutter with an unexplained joy even as the familiar feeling of apprehension that had always been present since she was a little girl rose within her, because she understood the symbol's meaning._

 ** _A new Blue King has risen_** _._

 _The mist was now completely gone, and she found that she was ankle deep in the water._

 ** _When did I change form?_**

 _Before she could even try to comprehend the change in her form, the cerulean light surrounding the Blue King's Sword of Damocles seemed to expand, and when she ascended the banks of the lake in her bare feet, she realized that she wasn't alone._

 _Her heart suddenly caught in her throat when she saw a man standing a few feet away from her near the water's edge._

 _He was tall, well over six feet, standing with a majestic bearing that made him seem taller than he already was, and from what she could see, he was dressed in a high collared, long sleeved, dark blue trench coat that reached almost until his ankles, a black leather belt around his trim waist holding the two pieces of clothing together. On the left side of his waist, she could see a gold handled saber with a blue sphere at the tip encased in a dark blue sheath that had several gold straps criss crossed over it. He wore low heeled, apparently knee high black boots._

 _He stood with his back turned to her as he gazed up at the symbol of the Blue King, his form illuminated by the azure glow, although she wasn't close enough to see his face. She couldn't tell if it was the glow from the Sword of Damocles hovering up in the sky that made his hair look black with dark blue highlights, but she could see that it was somewhat messy, and parted on the right, the tip of his bangs seeming to be swept to the left side of his face._

 _As startled and apprehensive as she was, she couldn't help but feel intrigued at the sight of the tall and elegant stranger._

 ** _Are you the new Blue King?_**

 _Although she hadn't voiced the question out loud, the stranger seemed to hear it, becoming aware of her presence._

 ** _He turned to look at her…._**

* * *

She opened her eyes, and found herself gazing up at the ceiling of her bedroom in the pre-dawn gloom. It was still dark, and when she turned to look at the clock, she saw that it was 5 a.m.

 ** _The time when dreams are said to be real._**

That was what the ancient Greeks had believed, and in the story of Europa, she'd had a dream at dawn that had been the foretelling of her abduction and eventual marriage to Zeus, the King of the Gods on the same day that it was fated to happen.

Despite the fact that it was only supposed to be mere mythology, she couldn't help but also believe that dreams that came at dawn also had a secret message.

Sighing softly, she stretched, and sat up. Flinging off the covers, she tried not to shiver at the chill that came in the early hours of the morning. Glancing out the window, she could see the faint hint of periwinkle light far off in the horizon. She padded across the floor in her bare feet before making her way to the window and undoing the latch.

She opened the window, inhaling deeply, as the scents of the clean morning air and scent of nature filled her lungs.

* * *

He had always enjoyed the tranquility that came with the early hours of the morning, and today was no different as he indulged himself in the silence that accompanied his early morning walks before he started his day. He was never one to take the same route whenever he went for a walk, and today, his route brought him to a small lake in a quiet park not far from headquarters.

As he strolled along the grassy banks, a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, causing him to stop in his tracks. When he turned to look, he was pleasantly surprised to see a white swan gliding gracefully along the surface of the lake, the ripples behind it disappearing almost as soon as they had appeared. Intrigued, he stepped closer to the water's edge and watched the graceful avian as it continued to glide its path along the water, its eyes on the horizon, seeming to anticipate the rising of the sun.

Suddenly, the swan seemed to sense his presence, and turned to look at him, surprising him. Soft pools of midnight tinted with dark violet, much like blue sandstones gazed at him in surprise, and what seemed to be slight recognition before a rosy pink blush spread across the beautiful avian creature's cheeks. The swan then dipped its head and spread its wings in greeting before raising its eyes to his face once again.

Surprised by the swan's gesture, he felt a warm glow begin to spread in his chest, and smiled as he nodded his head, returning the swan's greeting.

 ** _I feel as if I am being stared at by a beautiful lady._**

As if to make the moment more intense, the sun rose, bathing the surroundings in its golden light as it announced the start of a new day, making the surface of the lake sparkle like diamonds, and revealing the beauty of the earth that was not very visible under the cover of night.

It had moved closer now, although it still maintained its distance, as if unsure, gazing at him quietly.

The moment was broken, however, when his phone vibrated in his pocket, and when he saw the caller ID, he knew that it was time to leave.

The swan seemed to understand that the brief time they had together was over, its eyes sad; for some reason, he did not want to leave, his heart aching.

Quietly, the avian creature dipped its head and spread its wings once again, only this time, bidding him goodbye. Sighing, he nodded solemnly before he turned to leave, feeling the swan's gaze on him as he strode away.

 ** _Perhaps we shall meet again,_** he thought.

 ** _Until then…_**

* * *

 _She watched him leave, her heart aching at the time cut short, although she felt a strange blossoming of warmth in her chest; she watched him until he was out of sight before she turned and spread her wings, ascending into the morning sky._

 ** _It IS you…_**

* * *

 ** _I'll have to buy another sketchbook,_** she thought to herself as she remembered that this was the last in her supply, and the blank pages available were startling to become less.

She sighed as she toweled her hair dry, and sat on her bed. Picking up her sketchbook, she gazed at the drawings she had made this morning following her return from the lake where she had seen the new Blue King.

The encounter from this morning was still very vivid in her mind, and she smiled as she remembered the man she had seen. Thanks to her being able to see his face, she now knew what he looked like, and she had to admit, it was more than she had ever hoped for.

 ** _He had been more handsome than she thought he would be when she had seen him in her dream._**

 ** _He had been so beautiful…_**

He had stood with an elegant, majestic grace of a King, his presence the kind that commanded attention wherever he went. In addition to being tall with broad shoulders that only made him seem more elegant, his face was majestically handsome with intense amethyst eyes, and she didn't mind that he wore a pair of rectangular shaped, framelss glasses since he still looked good in them; she had also confirmed that his hair was indeed black with dark blue sapphire tints, although there had been angles where they had looked dark purple.

As she had seen in her dream, he had been wearing a long sleeved, high collared, dark blue trench coat that reached almost until his ankles, held together at the waist by a black leather belt with a golden buckle. Underneath the intricate, storm designed, dark blue coat he wore, he had been wearing a white shirt with an upturned collar paired with a fancy cravat over dark blue pants, wearing knee high boots with metal frames near the top; even the sword he wore on the left side of his trim waist was the same: a gold handled saber adorned with a blue sphere at the tip encased in a dark blue sheath with gold straps criss crossed over it.

His attire had been different from his late predecessor's, but still, there was no mistaking who he was.

 ** _That man is the new Blue King._**

The new additions she had made to her sketch book were those of him standing by the banks of the lake where she had decided to swim this morning, as well as a sketch of him from the shoulders up.

She hadn't expected anyone to be up that early when she went to watch the sunrise from her favorite spot in the city, and the encounter with the man who was clearly the new Blue King had only added to the morning's surprises.

 ** _Why did he look so familiar?_** she wondered. **_I know I saw him in my dream, but I feel like this isn't the first time we've met…_**

 _For a moment, she felt herself taken back to a time long ago, and a young boy who had captured her heart, although she couldn't really remember what he had looked like; try as she might to remember what the boy had looked like, his face was either blurred, or obscured by shadows._

 _She felt her face warm as she traced her fingertips along the elegant planes of the Blue King's beautiful face before she stilled, a heartbreaking realization hitting her._

 ** _This is probably the closest I can get to you,_** she thought sadly, the euphoria that had been with her since she'd woken this morning beginning to dissipate like a fog with the sunrise.

The drawings became blurred, and her throat started to burn as she set the sketchpad down on the bedside table.

 ** _I can never let you know that I'm human._**

The tears fell then, and she drew her knees up as she began to cry.


	2. Protector

Anna was scrying with her marbles when a familiar presence touched her awareness at the same time that impending danger made itself known.

 _ **Naricia…?**_

The face of her friend – so briefly known – appeared in her mind's eye, and Anna saw those who were following the girl. Without thinking twice, the little albino sprang to her feet, vaguely aware of the startled, concerned glances directed at her due to the suddenness of her movement, and ran out of the bar.

" Anna! "

She heard Izumo's voice, but the urgency that she felt propelled her to run in the direction of the girl who had saved her once.

Naricia wasn't red like Mikoto and the others, Anna knew, therefore, the older girl could never join the Red Clan; her aura was blue, just like the man who had recently risen as the Blue King, although she wasn't as powerful as him.

Still, Naricia had saved her once, protecting her even then, as well as after; Anna knew that she could trust the girl from the moment they had almost collided on the street when her powers had gone berserk, and her emotions had overflowed. Back then, even as she had run through the streets, her emotions and world combining and overflowing, Anna had sensed another presence searching for her, as if hearing her cry for help in that moment of despair, and when she had finally laid eyes on the older girl, she had felt so relieved that she gratefully collapsed in her arms as darkness swallowed her.

 _ **Now, their positions were reversed as Anna sought to repay a debt she knew she could never repay.**_

Her senses brought her to the park, although she couldn't see the way the setting sun had bathed the surrounding greenery in a soft gold glow.

 _ **Everything was a monochromatic black and white.**_

So intent was she in finding her friend that she didn't notice the figure obscured by the trees lining the path just ahead of her when she turned the corner. She only saw her mere moments before they collided, and she heard a surprised gasp as they fell, the sound of whatever the other girl had been holding suddenly flying into the air and hitting different parts of the ground like hardened rain. A pair of arms went around her, holding her protectively as both girls went down, only one body hitting the ground so that the other would be safe.

Like a breath of fresh air filling a tightly sealed room, Anna's color blindness was washed away by the flood of colors that greeted her when she tried to push herself up and look around; she could see the soft glow of sunset bathing the trees and bushes surrounding her, the various colors of the flowers that dotted various areas.

 _ **" Anna?! "**_

Startled back to reality by the familiar female voice calling her name, the little girl looked down at the girl whom she had literally run into. Eyes that were a deep, dark blue with violet hints were wide with surprise as they regarded her.

 _ **" Naricia… "**_

Feeling embarrassed, Anna moved back slightly so that her long lost friend could sit up. Naricia winced slightly before taking her hands in hers, pulling her to her feet as she stood.

" Are you alright? " the older girl asked, even as she check with her eyes.

Anna nodded, her vision blurring slightly as she stepped closer to Naricia and buried her face in the material of her blouse. The older girl embraced her tenderly, kissing the top of her head softly, her heartbeat steadying, and calming her own fears if even only slightly.

" Sweetie, " Naricia's voice was gentle, something that Anna still remembered from before. " What are you doing out here on your own? It's dangerous. "

" You're in danger, " Anna answered, looking up at her. " They're close by, and I had to tell you. "

Naricia's beautiful face darkened with concern. " Who? "

Before she could respond, the little girl felt a shudder go through her as the danger she had feared closed in on them. " They're here. "

The older girl felt the child in her arms tremble before she spoke, and tightened her hold protectively as she raised her head, and scanned the area around them with her eyes.

Three figures clad in the old uniform of Scepter 4 emerged from the tree line and stepped out onto the stone path, blocking their way. Naricia felt her defenses go up when she saw them, for their faces were well known to her: Gen Shiotsu, Scepter 4's former third in command, flanked by Akito and Hayato Minato. Their faces were set in grim determination, and she knew that the twins were the ones responsible for the attacks on various Strains over the past few weeks, apparently with the consent of the man who had raised them.

Immediately, Naricia moved Anna behind her.

Anna huddled closer to her friend as the three attackers drew their swords, and pointed them at her Naricia; she felt Naricia tense, an arm stretched out protectively in front of her.

"Stay behind me, " Naricia cautioned. " When there's an opening, you run back to HOMRA, do you understand? "

Anna felt her heart drop to her toes. " You'll take all three of them on your own? " she despaired, holding onto Naricia's arm. " But… "

Without taking her eyes off her opponents, Naricia released her aura, the blue light glowing around her before spreading wider and forming a dome like shield around both of them. Naricia's hair floated slightly, as if being carried by a gentle breeze, but Anna had seen that before…

* * *

 ** _It seemed like so long ago and far away, but at the same time, it felt like time had fallen away, and everything had happened just yesterday._**

 _Anna ran through the streets, the fragile barrier around her heart shattering and crumbling as memories of a world and time lost forever, played in her mind: her mother's kind, loving smile, her father lifting her onto his shoulders…._

 _ **" … Help me… "**_

 _Her thoughts and feelings were overflowing and scattering just like her tears, but somewhere in the depths of her despair, she felt someone searching for her, nearing her, as if hearing her plea._

 _A figure suddenly rounded the corner, and when the little girl blinked, she realized that she was looking at a girl who resembled a French lullaby doll. The girl was looking directly at her, a shocked expression on her face before recognition set in._

 _ **Will you help me…?**_

 _Anna had never felt so relieved to see anyone, even if this girl was a stranger she had never set her eyes on, and her aura was blue._

 _The girl had once, long ago been part of the clan that now no longer had a King to lead them, and had fallen so far that they were now at the behest of the ones who had brought the lives of countless others like them crashing down._

 _ **Still...**_

 _What was more was that she was able to see other colors – not just red – clearly. This girl whom she had never met before seemed to be wiping her color blindness away without trying. Anna could feel that she didn't mean her any harm, and, as the distance between them closed, she knew that she was safe with her._

 _ **She felt the girl's arms go around her as everything else faded away…**_

 _When Anna opened her eyes, she found herself in the same place where nightmares were a living reality, and trembled against the warmth holding her._

 _Those gentle arms tightened around her protectively, and she wasn't surprised to see that the girl from earlier was holding her; as Anna gazed at her, she knew that she was safe with her, and everything would be alright._

 _As if sensing that Anna was awake, the girl looked at her, her eyes softening._

 _ **" It will be alright, baby, "**_ _the girl assured her gently._

 _Anna could feel the girl's fear for both of them, and it only intensified as the door opened, followed by the entrance of both Koshi Mizuchi, the Gold Clan scientist who had intended to experiment on her due to his interest in her abilities so he could force her to sync with the Dresden Slates to create a new Blue King; she had told them the truth about her_ _ **" condition "**_ _as they left the center to get some clothes for her before she was admitted, and that Mizuchi had lied to them so that they could hand her over to them for_ _ **" treatment "**_ _. Upon learning the truth, her parents had talked long into the night, and left her with Honami the next day as they drove to the Nanakamado facility in order to inform the clearly mad scientist that they would not hand their daughter over to him to torture for his own desires._

 _ **It was the last time Anna had seen her parents alive.**_

 _A few hours later, Honami had received a phone call, informing her that her brother, Tetsuya and his wife, Ayuri, had perished in a car accident; the brakes had malfunctioned as they were returning from the Nanakamado facility, resulting in their car crashing into a concrete wall that resulted in their instant deaths. Even as Honami relayed the news to her, Anna knew the truth, although she tried not to see it: Koshi Mizuchi had ordered her parents' deaths after they refused to let him touch her, and threatened to have him arrested if he even tried._

 _Her emotions had overflowed after she overheard Izumo and the others talking about her, and her parents, leading to her meeting with the girl holding her, before culminating in this moment._

 _Anna felt the girl – she saw that her name was Naricia – stiffen, before tightening her arms around her, although taking care not to hurt her as various emotions awoke and swirled almost dizzyingly within her at the sight of the man: grief for her mother, anger at Mizuchi for what he had done to her mother, and fear for Anna; she was afraid that she might not be able to protect her from him, and what he would do to her if she didn't get her out of this place._

 _When the woman accompanying him entered the room, Anna saw Naricia's face pale – first with disbelief, and betrayal before complete rage took hold._

 _ **" How could you?! "**_ _Naricia demanded, clearly wanting to go over to her aunt and tear her hair out, although she didn't act on her feelings since she was also afraid that Anna would be hurt if she let go of her._

 _The woman who had followed Mizuchi inside smiled coldly at the sight of the two girls. Anna couldn't help but notice the faint resemblance between them; their eyes were the same unique color that seemed to dance between dark blue and violet, but the woman's eyes were cold and cruel, a stark contrast to the sad, yet gentle pools of her niece's._

 _ **" Why? "**_ _the woman scoffed as if Naricia had asked the most stupid question, and she was looking down her nose at her as a result._ _ **" I don't know what your father saw in your mother for him to want to marry her; I saw him first, before your mother did, but he still chose HER; you're the result. I had hoped that both of you would be among the dead after I found that my husband and daughter died in the Kagutsu Crater Tragedy, but it turns out that both of you survived, and your father didn't! "**_

 _Naricia stared at her aunt in disbelief, the pain in her heart digging even deeper._

 _ **" You betrayed us because you were jealous of my mother?! "**_ _she asked in disbelief._

 _Once the words had started, there was no stopping them._ _ **" I'm not surprised Papa loved Mama instead of you! "**_ _she spat out fiercely._ _ **" He obviously saw what Mama and I saw – and what I'm still seeing now: a selfish, cruel bitch who doesn't care who gets hurt as long as she can get what she wants! I'm glad he wasn't stupid to choose you! "**_

 _Temari's expression was priceless as her niece flung those brutal words at her: her jaw dropped all the way to the floor, her expression aghast. Her shock gave way to fury that stemmed from knowing that her niece had spoken the truth – which she didn't want to hear since she believed that she was superior to the girl, and the sister who had defeated her, even in death._

 _ **As Naricia continued to speak, Temari saw Nayara's face as she spoke the words that were similar to her daughter's.**_

 _The infuriated woman took a step towards her niece, intending to strike her for being so like her mother – in appearance and personality, only to be stopped by Mizuchi's arm blocking her; Naricia, upon seeing her aunt's intention, had immediately set the little girl with white hair behind her, placing herself between them protectively._

 _ **" Now, now, "**_ _Mizuchi chided, his tone the one he often used to negotiate, although his cruel eyes were alight with excitement as he surveyed the two Strains – both doll like in appearance with powers beyond his wildest dreams that he wanted for his own._ _ **" There is no need to turn this into a battlefield. "**_ _His eyes settled on Anna Kushina who was peeking at him fearfully from her place behind the obviously stubborn daughter of the former Blue King, one tiny hand on her sleeve before fixing on the girl's sandstone blue eyes staring at both him and her aunt angrily._

 _ **" I hope both of you have learned your lesson, "**_ _he said, speaking like a father chiding his two children who had misbehaved._ _ **" If both of you had come to the facility sooner rather than be so selfish, then your parents would be alive, and you would have been able to rule under the sun rather than remain locked up here. "**_

 _Anna shrank at Mizuchi's words, feeling Naricia's anger flare once again._ _ **" And who are you to decide for us?! "**_ _she snapped defiantly._ _ **" Your King may be the holder of the Dresden Slates, but that doesn't mean you can make someone of your choice a King! It's the Dresden Slates that choose the Kings, not mad scientists like you! "**_

 _No sooner had she spoken those words then Mizuchi brought his arm out from behind him and pointed it at the girl who was becoming a nuisance with her defiance. Naricia gasped with pain as she felt the effects of the tazer gun, and immediately erected her shield in front of Anna to protect her as she fell to her knees, although she remained conscious._

 _The fear that was coursing through Anna went up a notch at the sight of the girl who was trying to protect her on her knees, Mizuchi's expression one of annoyance and satisfaction as he observed Naricia in pain._

 _ **" Such a stubborn girl, "**_ _he lamented in a tone that lamented nothing. His eyes moved back to Anna, protected by the barrier of blue light._ _ **" Well? "**_ _he demanded._ _ **" If you become the Blue King, you will be able to protect your aunt rather than cause her pain by leaning on her when she knows nothing of your own world. "**_

 _Anna couldn't let someone else get hurt because of her; she wouldn't. She trembled._

 _ **" Naricia, "**_ _she pleaded softly._ _ **" Please… remove the shield. "**_

 _ **" No… "**_ _Naricia gasped, raising her eyes to Anna._ _ **" I won't let him hurt you… "**_

 _ **" I won't run away, "**_ _Anna said quietly._ _ **" Just don't hurt Naricia or Honami. "**_

 _ **" Anna…! "**_

 _Mizuchi gave a grunt of satisfaction._ _ **" There is no need for such tragic courage, "**_ _he pointed out in a kind tone that made Naricia want to vomit, taking a step forward._ _ **" There will be pain in the procedure, but that is necessary to draw out your full power. "**_

 _ **" Naricia, "**_ _Anna pleaded_ _ **.**_

 _Still gasping for breath, took a deep breath and retracted her shield before rising shakily to her feet. Anna immediately got her arms around Naricia's waist, surprised at how_ _ **small**_ _it felt, supporting the girl as she tried to right herself. The older girl nodded her thanks, winding her arm around Anna's shoulders as their eyes met._

 _ **I am NOT letting him lay a hand on you.**_

 _Somehow, Naricia's unspoken promise was comforting._

 _Anna didn't understand why she felt so close to the girl with her; they had only just officially met earlier, and she wasn't red like Mikoto, but still, her presence was comforting._

 _Maybe it was because both of them had so many similarities: they were both Strains, their powers coveted by the Gold Clan, and the monster in front of them who had been responsible for the death of Naricia's mother, and Anna's parents._

 _ **What Anna didn't realize was that they were also both girls with a doll like appearance.**_

 _ **" You can get your revenge on your niece in the laboratory, "**_ _Mizuchi stated, glancing at Temari, the excited gleam in his eyes mixed with malice._ _ **" She is quite a handful, and we can't have that… "**_

 _It was a somewhat slow and painful march to the laboratory, with Naricia leaning on Anna every now and then, both girls holding onto each other for support and strength._

 _The door had only just closed behind Koshi Mizuchi when a loud explosion rocked the surroundings, cracks appearing in the walls._

 _ **" What is going on? "**_ _the scientist demanded._

 _A moment later, a voice familiar to Naricia sounded on the communications panel._ _ **" Mikoto Suoh and the Red Clan have invaded the facility! "**_ _Gen Shiotsu reported in an urgent tone._ _ **" They're here for Anna Kushina! "**_

 _Anna felt her heart flutter with joy, and she felt Naricia's arm tighten around her, the older girl's emotionless façade softening to reveal the smile around her eyes._

 _ **I'll get you out, and back to them.**_

 _ **" Do you think that you're a princess about to be rescued? "**_

 _Mizuchi's taunting voice cut through the relief Anna felt, and she huddled closely to Naricia in fear as the look in the older girl's eyes became one of anger at his words._

 _ **" That's enough. "**_

 _Those violet tinted, midnight blue eyes regarded her kindly, but when she turned to face the man who was their enemy, that warmth disappeared. The tension in the room following the girl's words became so thick, it was almost physical. Even though she was still clearly in pain, Naricia straightened, embracing Anna to her side for a moment before placing her behind her._

 _ **" Naricia… "**_

 _Without taking her eyes off of Mizuchi, Naricia's aura glowed about her, before it surrounded both girls. The blue light was a part of Naricia – she glowed with it, her hair floating about her as if being caressed by the invisible fingers of the wind._

 _ **" Stay behind me, Anna. "**_

 _As she spoke, the aura around Naricia glowed before separating and forming into a circle of swords that began to spin around her, also causing Anna's hair and the folds of her skirt to whip around her. Naricia held her hand out, and one of the swords – a rapier – flew into her grasp. With a swipe of her hand, the swords around them shot forward in a barrage of shining steel, striking the scientists alongside Mizuchi, and causing many of them to fall, wounded. Upon seeing the girl's resistance, Mizuchi activated his aura, the golden light glowing around him as he called for backup. Five individuals entered the laboratory, their appearances making Naricia want to vomit for the second time in less than an hour as she laid eyes on the results of the mad scientist's inhumane experiments. Anna shuddered, almost vomiting as the knowledge of what had been done to them assailed her: Mizuchi would inject them with his blood before breaking them down physically and healing them, only to repeat the same procedure; the hellish scene repeating itself until their recovery time was reduced to nothing more than a moment, but by then, the individual's mind was broken, and they were reduced to nothing more than mindless zombies at his command who lived for nothing more than battle._

 _The swords returned to their places as Naricia turned her own blade facing downward as if she was going to plunge it into the floor in an act of surrender which Anna knew she would never do before releasing it from her hand. It floated gracefully, the other blades following suit before all of them sank into the floor as if it was made of water. When they were out of sight, a circle of azure light appeared around both girls._

 _ **" Stay within the circle, Anna, "**_ _Naricia's voice was gentle as she addressed her without turning, although her eyes had a steely look in them as she regarded the clearly frustrated, and somewhat unnerved expressions of Temari and Mizuchi._ _ **" You're safe inside it; I'll get you out as soon as there's an opening. "**_

 _ **" Okay. "**_

 _No sooner had Anna agreed to Naricia's words, then a bright light shot from the rim of the circle surrounding them, startling her._

 _ **" Sorry, "**_ _Naricia apologized._ _ **" Don't worry; it will be over soon. "**_

 _Anna could see that the blue light that surrounded them came from the circle of swords separated into thousands of tiny, slender blade fragments which began to spiral around them in something almost akin to a cyclone, too small to be seen normally, reflecting the light in such a way that they brought to mind the stars which had seemed to come down from the sky. At Naricia's mental command, the blades attacked Mizuchi's army of freaks who were coming at them from all directions, hurling them back, and shredding their clothes as well as their skin where they made contact, the impacts causing even more cracks to appear in the walls._

 _One particular Strain who reminded Naricia of the Hulk due to how mindlessly he kept on attacking drove his fist into the wall beside him before charging forward, too focused on crushing his opponent to see the spider web of cracks that had begun to spread from the hole he had created. Temari, who had moved back during the battle, took a step forward, only to have a giant portion of the wall collapse and crush her; Naricia and Anna saw it, turning their eyes away from the sight as the older girl focused on protecting the child with her, and trying to find a way to get her out._

 _Her nullification spread out to disable the abilities of their enemies – fallen and standing, and it worked to her advantage, although Anna knew that using so much power was taking its toll on her body._

 _ **She was beginning to tire.**_

 _The sudden tingling in her body brought the face of the Red King to her mind, and she took one of her marbles from her pocket, looking into the red sphere._

 _ **" Mikoto… "**_

 _Despite the din of battle ringing in her ears, Naricia heard Anna's words, which came out in barely a whisper._

 _ **" Is he here? "**_ _she asked, her eyes relieved, but also sad._

 _The little albino nodded._ _ **" Yes, "**_ _she confirmed._ _ **" He's on his way to us. "**_

 _Upon hearing their conversation, Mizuchi spun around to face them, his eyes mad with desperation in his face which had suddenly grown old thanks to the cancellation of his power._

 _ **" Do you realize what you are doing, Habari-kun?! "**_ _he shouted._ _ **" You are throwing away the chance to become a King like your father! You and Kushina-kun have the caliber of a King! Do not waste this -! "**_

 _ **" Go to hell. "**_

 _At her words, a wave of blue starlight washed over him, driving him back before a giant hole was blasted in the ceiling, followed by a red haired figure that towered over all the individuals left standing in the rubble._

 _One look at Anna's face was enough to tell the teenage girl who the intruder was._

 _ **So,**_ _she thought, relieved that Anna was finally safe, but also sad that they wouldn't have that much time together._ _ **The Red King has finally come for you.**_

 _She toned her aura down several notches as the Red King turned to look at Anna who took a step towards him as if mesmerized. One step became two, until Anna broke into a run, and hugged his leg. Naricia watched as the red haired man patted the little girl on the head before pulling her away from him like a kitten, and pushing her back, never noticing the teenager with her._

 _ **" Move it, kid**_ _. "_

 _Understanding that another battle was about to take place, Naricia embraced Anna from behind, smiling when she felt her tiny hands on her forearms._

 _ **" Time to go. "**_

 _With those words, Naricia was engulfed by the azure light that was a part of her, and when it faded, a beautiful white swan was in its place._

 _ **" Kushina-kun! "**_

 _Mizuchi's shout startled Anna, and she looked towards him, Naricia spreading a wing protectively in front of her._

 _ **" Do not betray me! "**_ _he continued._ _ **" You will be King, and I will be your first vassal! I will support you, guide you, and force you up into the position as the manager of the Dresden Slates! "**_

 _Anna regarded him quietly, fearful, and unsure what to do._

 _ **" Weren't you willing to become the Blue King to protect Honami Kushina?! "**_

 _It was a threat, pure and simple. Anna trembled at the mention of her aunt's name, only for the swan beside her to enfold its wings around her, comforting her._

 _ **It will be alright,**_ _she heard Naricia's voice assuring her._ _ **Don't waver under his threats; no one has the right to force their desires on you – least of all him.**_

 _Slowly, the swan pulled away from her, deep dark blue eyes holding her, and assuring her._

 _ **Let's get you out of here.**_

 _Anna nodded._ _ **" Okay. "**_

 _She climbed onto her back, and the swan ascended into the air, carrying her through the hole created by the Red King even as Mizuchi continued to shout threats at them. When they reached aboveground, Anna pointed out the figure of a sandy haired young man standing some distance from those engaged in their own battles._

 _ **" That's Tatara. "**_

 _Naricia touched ground several feet behind the young man before turning back into her human form, gently lowering Anna down._

 _ **" Will you be safe with him? "**_ _she asked._

 _Anna nodded in response._ _ **" Yes, "**_ _she answered._

 _The older girl's eyes were sad, but understanding._ _ **" Then I guess this is where we part ways. "**_

 _Naricia framed Anna's face between her hands before bending down, touching her forehead to hers as she closed her eyes. The little girl closed her eyes, reveling in the older girl's motherly aura._

 _They remained that way for several moments before Naricia pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, straightening as she took a step back._

 _ **" Be safe, my sweet angel. "**_

 _Tatara Totsuka felt a tingling on the back of his neck, and when he turned, he was surprised to see Anna standing several feet away, her eyes turned upward._

 _ **" Anna? "**_

 _At the sound of his voice, the child turned to look at him, her huge ruby eyes sad and filled with tears._

 _ **" Tatara… "**_

 _The young man enfolded Anna in his arms, relieved that she was alright, although he was puzzled at how she had gotten out when Mikoto was clearly still below ground, and troubled by the tears in her eyes._

 _Anna returned his embrace, calmed by his heartbeat, but her eyes were on the swan flying away in the night._

 _ **Naricia…**_

 _ **Thank you.**_

* * *

 _Anna didn't speak for some time after she was rescued, and it was discovered that her aunt no longer remembered her as a result of the Usagi wiping her from her memory, but her speechlessness was understandable considering the trauma and tragedy she had been through._

 _It wasn't until a few nights after the whole drama when Izumo and Tatara accompanied her upstairs to her room in the HOMRA bar to tuck her in that there was some light shed into the mystery._

 _When they entered the room, the window was open – Tatara and Izumo were sure that it had been closed earlier, and they found a fairly large box on the window sill with a bouquet of thornless red roses atop it._

 _Anna's eyes lit up at the sight, and she quickly took the box and its accompanying bouquet from the window, setting them on the bed before climbing on, reveling in the scent of promises and life._

 _ **" What is it, Anna? "**_

 _She didn't reply, lifting the lid, her already huge eyes becoming even larger. The two men came over, and were surprised at the contents: an oval shaped music box that was light pink in color with a spray of lily of the valleys decorating the lid, red lined edges, and a garnet pendant of the same shape on a red ribbon instead of a gold or silver chain._

 _When Anna lifted the lid of the music box, the tune that greeted her was haunting, yet sweet and beautiful; both men recognized it as the song from the Disney cartoon_ _ **Anastasia:**_

 _ **Once Upon a December.**_

 _ **Naricia,**_ _Anna thought as she listened to the soft tune, realizing that the presents had come from the girl who had been her angel and protector during her moments of deepest terror in an attempt to tell her that she was there even if they couldn't meet._ _ **I'll see you again…**_

 _ **Thank you…**_


	3. Tragedy of Blue Skies

_Jin Habari raced down the corridor towards the private room where his wife and newborn daughter were resting, his Clansmen at his heels._

 _ **Are they alright?**_ _he wondered, remembering the reports that there seemed to be some complications because Nayara was delivering a breach baby._

 _ **Please let them be alright.**_

 _Obviously, his prayer had been heard,_ _because_ _when he reached Nayara's room and opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of his wife carrying a blanket clad bundle in her arms; she looked exhausted and pale, but content, her smile somehow managing to make her face glow._

" _**Nayara. "**_

 _At the sound of her husband's voice, Nayara looked up, and found herself meeting at his worried, but relieved face as he came to her side. She sighed and leaned into him, grateful for his warmth and strength as he embraced her and their daughter. They remained like that for a long time, completely oblivious to the world, or the other Blue Clansmen who had followed their King, and were now waiting outside the room for a glimpse of the little princess who had come into the world._

 _ **Thank God they're alright.**_

 _His relief at seeing both of them was so great, the Blue King almost trembled with the intensity of his emotions. He kissed his wife gently on the forehead, before he found himself looking into two sets of soft pools of sandstone dark blue, one of them coming from the wriggling little pink bundle cooing at him._

 _The first time he had truly seen the beauty of the world, Nayara had finally let down her defenses and admitted that she loved him too; the second time was when she told him that she was carrying his child inside her._

 _Today was the third time he saw the beauty of the world as he looked into the eyes of his wife and daughter._

 _Without saying a word, Nayara knew that her husband wanted to hold their child, and she was happy to oblige. Carefully, she placed the innocent life she had made with her husband in his arms, her heart swelling with love for both of them as he accepted the baby from her._

 _The Blue King felt like his heart would burst as he savored the feeling of his daughter in his arms, and the clean scent of innocence._

 _ **Little flower…**_

 _ **A gift from God…**_

 _The baby was looking up at him now, as if aware of his presence, and who he was. Jin felt a rare smile tugging at the corners of his mouth when he saw that her skin was light pink, and she kept on stretching before she reached up a tiny hand, and grabbed a handful of his black hair in her fist. When he reached up with his other hand and caressed the soft skin of her face, she released his hair and grabbed his finger, holding on with an incredible strength._

 _ **When she wrapped her hand around his finger, he felt like she was wrapping her hand around his heart.**_

" _**I was waiting for you so we can name her together, "**_ _Nayara informed him._

" _**Any ideas? "**_ _the Blue King asked, kissing his wife again on the forehead._

" _**Not yet, "**_ _Nayara declared._ _ **" I was hoping you had an idea. "**_

" _**Naricia, "**_ _her husband declared._ _ **" Our little gift from God and the skies... "**_

 _His wife blushed, smiling shyly at her husband's decision and declaration._

* * *

It was a difficult and heavy burden that she had to carry on her frail shoulders; it made her a child of two worlds, the ordinary human world never being one of them, but because of this, she was able to understand the burdens and responsibilities that a King carried on his or her shoulders when chosen by the Dresden Slates, while at the same time, she was also aware of the dangers that a Strain would have to face, even when becoming the member of any of the Seven Clans.

And yet, she bore it with pride because for her, it was proof of who she was; to deny the truth would be to deny who she was, and to deny who her parents were.

 _ **And she would never deny who she was, or who her parents were, because she was not ashamed of who they were.**_

 _ **Because they made her who she was.**_

The former Blue King, Jin Habari, met and fell in love with a unique Strain named Nayara Shirohana after hearing various rumors of a Strain who was always fighting the Gold Clan off whenever the Gold King sent the Rabbits to arrest her, and have her brought to him since he was interested in harnessing her power for himself. The middle daughter of a wealthy, but cruel, tyrannical father, and a scheming, pathological liar for a mother, Nayara had been taken in, named, and raised by her maternal aunt who treated her with the love and kindness she never received from her parents, thus she had a compassionate heart; Nayara took her aunt's maiden name as her own, distancing herself from her twisted family, and refusing to let them dictate her life for her.

Her maternal aunt, Aria, was a woman others accused of always having her head in the clouds, but Nayara had known better; her aunt always tried to see the good in the world, and if there was none to be found, she would make a space for that light to shine. She was a woman who loved the ancient European legends as much as those in her home country, and when she had seen her niece, Aria had known that she had inherited her own special ability, thus she was the one who named and raised her.

Nayara's first meeting with the Blue King, Jin Habari, did not go well at all. Due to the traumatic experiences she'd had throughout her life – several of them being thanks to her parents trying to sell her to the Gold King so that he would allow them into the Chamber of Slates, she believed that all Kings were the same, the Blue King being no different.

 _ **However, that wasn't the case.**_

True, Jin Habari was intrigued by her abilities since they made her quite powerful, but Nayara's spirit and beauty had won him over.

 _ **He had fallen in love with her.**_

It took several months, and much effort from his part before she came to trust him.

When she opened her heart to him, romance soon followed, resulting in their marriage, and the birth of their only daughter, Naricia, her name of a variation of her mother's, which made sense in its own way since they looked alike, and to the man who loved both of them with all his heart, they were the warmth and beauty that came with spring time.

The little girl's coming into the world, however, wasn't an easy one. Born six weeks early as a breach baby, both she and her mother had almost died before she was delivered.

The Blue King's daughter was born in the midst of one of his clashes with Genji Kagutsu, the Red King, so he was not present at the time that his wife went into labor; he was only informed afterwards, and wasted no time making his way to the hospital where he saw his exhausted wife holding a pink bundle of life in her arms. Jin Habari embraced them both, relieved that they were alive, and hating himself for not being there with his wife during that trying time, however, all was not as well as it seemed. The couple was later informed that due to the complications of Naricia's birth, which had almost cost both mother and daughter their lives, it would be dangerous for Nayara to become pregnant again; any attempts to have another child could result in the death of one, or both of them.

Like her parents, Naricia possessed and was surrounded by the Blue Aura; it was part of her from the time she was conceived in her mother's womb, and it would be so until the day she breathed her last. Invisible to the ordinary eye, it was visible to both her parents and others who knew of Kings and Clans; no one could take it away for her, and it was a clear indication of where she belonged.

From the very start, it was clear that she had inherited both her parents' abilities: like her mother, she could turn into a white swan, and also possessed her abilities of nullification which could cancel out the dangerous abilities of other Strains by her mere presence, although others were left unharmed; she also possessed her mother's ability of healing, as well as her mental shield against sensory interference. She also inherited her father's ability to manifest different types of swords from out of thin air, and like him, she could use them to shield her from attacks by making them spin around her in defense mode as well as attack an enemy when on the offense.

Naricia was a miniature of her mother. Like Nayara, she was petite, and slender, her fragile appearance making her look younger than her years, her round, violet tinted, dark blue eyes like sandstone of the same color set in an oval shaped, doll like face with flawless, pale skin, her long hair tumbling down her back in a veil of pale silver gold that that made it look like sunlight dancing with moonlight and starlight, although there were angles where she also looked like her father.

Little Naricia was very attached to her parents, never leaving their sides, or allowing anyone else near her; whenever someone else tried to touch or come near her, the little girl would burst into tears, and not stop crying until one of her parents comforted her. She was often seen walking between her parents, holding their hands, or following one of them around. She would either be reading a book, or watching her mother as she treated visitors to the infirmary, sometimes handing her the tools or medicines she needed; when she wasn't helping her mother, she was often found playing or reading in the Blue King's office, sometimes on his lap as he worked, even holding some of the papers he had signed for him.

Whenever he returned from one of his clashes with the Red King, Genji Kagutsu, or any other assignment, Naricia would run down the grand staircase that led to the entrance of Scepter 4 Headquarters, and rush into his arms to greet him. It was a welcoming sight upon Scepter 4's return to headquarters after a long and tiring day; the Blue King's often easygoing, yet sometimes stoic façade would melt at the sight of his daughter running into his arms, and he lifted her into the air as she laughed with delight. His wife would be alerted to his return by the sound of her daughter's laughter, and greet him as well as he carried Naricia inside.

 _ **The lives of the Blue King with his wife and daughter seemed like a dream.**_

 _ **And perhaps it was…**_

 _ **Because like all dreams…**_

 _ **Nothing lasts forever…**_

* * *

The Dresden Slates chose Genji Kagutsu as the Red King, and the first person he had made a Clansman was his younger brother, Shinji, who, like him, was quite a troublemaker; he was almost a perfect mirror of his violent tempered older brother except that he was only much worse since he was quite reckless.

The wheels of destruction and fate were set in motion when Shinji Kagutsu locked horns with one of his fellow Clansmen, the situation exacerbated by their short fused tempers, reckless arrogance, and constant itching to get into brawls.

This time, however, things went too far.

The man that Shinji Kagutsu had decided to pick a fight with was one of the strongest, most violent members of the Red Clan, second only to the Red King himself. During the fight, the challenged Clansman struck the Red King's reckless younger brother in the chest with his palm, inadvertently smashing his breastbone, and causing the broken fragments to pierce his heart.

The Red King, like his brother, was fighting some local gangsters who had been causing trouble for his clan elsewhere, but when he heard of his brother being severely injured, he rushed to where his troublesome sibling was. Shinji died a slow and painful death, drowning in his own blood in his brother's arms even as the Red King tried to save him.

In his grief over his younger brother's death, Genji Kagutsu obliterated everything around him, including his own clansmen; among them, the one who had accepted Shinji's challenge also perished.

Just like the Red King's emotional and mental condition, his Sword of Damocles began to crumble, deep cracks appearing on its surface with every moment that passed. He disappeared only long enough to bury his younger brother, and when he reappeared, things went straight to hell.

Having gone over the edge, the Red King invaded the Blue Clan's territory while his rival was off base after being alerted about a group of rogue Strains, injuring several of his clansmen, including Jin Habari's wife before kidnapping his five year old daughter, Naricia. Things were extremely tense when the Blue King returned to Scepter 4 Headquarters, and found that half of it had been razed to the ground, several of his clansmen dead, others – including his wife – severely injured. Upon learning that their daughter had been abducted by the crazed Red King, Jin Habari set off to save the child while his wife attended to the wounded clansmen, but not before warning Nayara to be ready to leave in case only their daughter came back and he didn't.

The damage to the Red King's Sword of Damocles was accelerating at an alarming rate, and by the time the Blue Clan arrived, it was clearly about to fall.

Jin Habari fought a desperate fight – to save his little girl, and prevent the fall of the Red King's Sword of Damocles.

 _ **In the end, he won the battle, but lost the war.**_

It wasn't as if Genji Kagutsu cared what happened, or who got hurt though; the entire time he had held his rival's daughter captive, the little girl didn't know what was more frightening: the dead emptiness in the Red King's eyes, or the insanity that seemed to consume him at the most unexpected moments, resulting in him either laughing maniacally, or striking her whenever she came into his line of vision. If anything, he didn't care about anything as long as he could go on a rampage, dragging down as many people as he could with him.

The selfish and violent man that he was, the Red King had kidnapped his rival's only daughter to goad the Blue King into killing him, and hadn't even noticed when his Sword of Damocles fell and crushed him.

Although he managed to save his daughter, Jin Habari wasn't able to prevent the Red King's Sword of Damocles from falling, and as a result, almost a million lives were lost, and a giant crater had opened up, forever changing the country's landscape.

The three of them had only barely managed to survive thanks to the Blue King erecting his shield, although his second in command, Goki Zenjo, lost his left arm, and sustained an X shaped wound that almost covered his entire face.

His failure to prevent the disaster that cost so many lives broke the Blue King's resolve, and before the horrified eyes of his little daughter and his second in command, a large crack appeared in his own Sword of Damocles, echoed by the sound of crashing thunder.

Knowing that another Damocles Down was imminent, Jin Habari sadly bid goodbye to his little princess, and gave Goki Zenjo one final command:

 _ **Do not let my Sword of Damocles fall.**_

Goki Zenjo obeyed his King's final order, carrying the burden of his death on his shoulders.

 _ **The grief stricken faces of Nayara and Naricia Habari would haunt his dreams and nightmares in the next decade to come.**_

* * *

For Nayara, part of her heart died when she saw her husband's crumbling Sword of Damocles vanish amidst the grey clouds of the stormy sky, her only reason for living being the child who was both of them.

She had always known that loving him was a dangerous risk, but she continued bravely, because she loved him so much; she knew that if she could do it all over again, she would still love him.

 _ **For Nayara, Jin Habari would be the first, the last, and the only man she would ever love.**_

Although she was relieved to be holding her daughter again in her arms, Nayara's heart was forever broken by the loss of the man she loved, the cold fist of fear that had followed her for most of her life now wrapping its fingers around her once again.

 _ **The time of dreamlike harmony and bliss was over.**_

 _ **Because like all dreams…**_

 _ **Nothing lasts forever…**_

* * *

For little Naricia, seeing her father die was more than just losing the man who had been her world; it was the end of the world she knew.

Despite her young age, Naricia had always felt that the world beyond the place she called home was dangerous and full of monsters; the only thing that stood in its way was her father, but he could only keep her and her mother safe for so long…

With her father gone, the danger that had been lurking in the shadows finally revealed itself, rearing its ugly head like a snake about to strike.

Years before, Nayara Shirohana had been forced to fight off the Gold Clan and their King in order to live; when she met and married Jin Habari, the Gold King had been furious, demanding that the said Strain be handed over to him since he desired her unique power. The Blue King had refused, and the Gold King was forced to back down in order to avoid instigating a clan war that would surely tarnish his reputation by revealing the depths of his greed.

Still, he had watched from the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to finally take what he wanted. The birth of the Blue King's daughter meant that there would also be a new power – both of a Strain, and a King – to be utilized, and make him more powerful. Upon seeing the Blue King's Sword of Damocles disappear from the sky following his fight with Genji Kagutsu, the Gold King set about preparing to capture the wife and daughter Jin Habari had left behind, only allowing enough time for his funeral.

Barely a few hours after Jin Habari's ashes were placed in the crematorium where fallen Blue Clansmen were laid to rest, the Gold King and the Usagi arrived at Scepter 4 Headquarters to take custody of the late Captain of Scepter 4's widow and daughter, only to find that they had vanished without a trace.

In all his excitement, the Gold King never anticipated that the Blue King had prepared a getaway plan for his wife and daughter in case the worst would ever come. After registering Naricia as a Strain, he had made sure to remove the GPS trackers that were placed in her body, and that of her mother's so that they would never be found if ever they needed to go into hiding; funds in an anonymous account were also available for their use, and a place that only the three of them knew of would serve as their haven away from the eyes of the dangerous world that they were born into.

Naricia and her mother could not go out into the sun without exposing themselves to those who wished to harm them. The child was home schooled, and as a result, she was quite sheltered from human interactions, with only her mother as company, the latter taking online typing jobs under various aliases in order to augment their income; on the rare occasions that they ventured out of their tiny haven, mother and daughter always had to make sure that they were carefully disguised.

The Kagutsu Crater Tragedy wiped out more than half a million people, including the majority of Naricia's own twisted family; as a result, only Nayara and Naricia, along with the former's estranged older sister, Temari remained - as far as they knew.

Nayara and Temari were both Strains, and had both rebelled against their parents, however, the latter was shown to be as selfish and manipulative as they had been in life; as a result, a giant rift opened between the two sisters, and they remained on barely speaking terms for years, despite both of them eventually getting married, and having their own children.

Although Nayara eventually found her sister ( without giving her own location away ), the reunion wasn't a happy one. Temari confirmed that although she had survived the fall of the Red King's Sword of Damocles while the just about everyone else had perished, her husband, and her four year old daughter hadn't; she couldn't accept that her sister still had her daughter with her when her own child was gone, and would rather not be around any of them. Not surprisingly, her selfish declaration maintained the rift between the two sisters, never to be mended.

Ironically enough, it would have been better if Nayara had never found her sister since that reunion would play a major role in the tragedy that would soon unfold for her and her daughter.

One of the jobs that Nayara took up to supplement her income and give her daughter a chance to see a glimpse of the outside world was that of a street artist. She would go to the local park with Naricia, their faces often obscured from view by the hats that they wore to protect them from getting sunburned, and she would sketch or paint those who wished to have their portraits done; the best times for these ventures was during festivals, and although she loved watching the dancing colors, Naricia never left her mother's side for fear of getting lost, or possibly snatched away by a stranger.

It was during of these ventures when Naricia was eight years old that her path would cross with one of the two people who would one day become a very important part of her life.

He was a teenage boy between fourteen to fifteen years old, tall for his age, and wearing glasses that didn't seem to tarnish his handsome appearance. The little girl was intrigued by his majestic and elegant air, but most of all, she was captivated by his intense amethyst eyes.

* * *

Luckily for Nayara and Naricia, they had always made sure to tell no one about the little haven that was their home, always mindful that one wrong slip could mean the end for them; they also wanted to preserve the memories of the times that they spent there with Jin Habari when he was still alive since they had spent many happy days together in that place.

They told no one about their hiding place, not even Nayara's older sister, Temari.

Ever since Nayara had found her sister, she always felt like there was something about Temari, that she couldn't quite put her finger on; it hadn't been there before they parted ways, however, ever since the Kagutsu Crater Tragedy that claimed the lives of both their husbands, she sensed a change, a darkness in Temari that put her on guard whenever they were together.

Naricia felt it too, and at one point, begged her mother not to go and visit Temari anymore, telling her mother that the look in her aunt's eyes reminded her of the monsters that dwelt in the darkness of the most horrifying nightmares of the living.

 _ **It was like looking into a deep, dark, pitch black pit, and sensing the demons that dwelt there as they moved, even though you couldn't see them, while feeling their eyes on you.**_

Most adults would have scoffed at Naricia's description of her aunt's eyes, and said that the child had a creative, overactive imagination.

 _ **But not Nayara.**_

Her daughter's words seemed to confirm the fears that she had long held inside her regarding her older sister, and as a result, both of them distanced herself from Temari, something that seemed to cause her much displeasure despite her claims that she would rather not be around any of them.

One day, when mother and daughter ventured out of their haven – not to paint, or purchase the necessities for everyday life, but simply to be outside - disaster struck.

There was a doctor under the Gold King, a mad scientist by the name of Koshi Mizuchi working at the Nanakamado Strain Educational Centre that used a cancer treatment hospital as a front for his own self serving experiments who had been extremely aggressive - almost obsessive in his pursuit of the late Blue King's widow and daughter. Like the Gold King, he coveted the power of the two for his own use, and also the possibility of turning one of them into the Blue King since the said throne was vacant; he wanted to capture them, and make one of them sync with the Dresden Slates to create a new King, which, in his eyes, was the ultimate proof of his own power, making him superior to the Gold King, and therefore moving the ownership of the said Slates into his hands.

Along with the rest of his henchmen, Mizuchi attempted to corner the mother and daughter, only to be met with a warrior like resistance that resulted in several deaths and severe injuries of his men, forcing him to retreat temporarily in order to heal them so that he could continue with his pursuit.

Despite being able to escape Mizuchi, and cause sufficient damage that forced him to retreat, Nayara and Naricia didn't come out unscathed; no sooner had they managed to reach a safe spot away from prying eyes and the mad scientist in pursuit of them, Naricia found that her mother had been mortally wounded. Despite her attempts to try and prevent the death of her remaining parent, her powers weren't strong enough to nullify the body's normal reaction to massive internal damage, and severe loss of blood any more than Nayara's was due to her condition.

Neither the late Blue King, or his wife, or even his daughter had ever dreamed that their lives would turn out the way they did; their fates, however, were at odds with their hopes and dreams, and as a result, the child they loved with all their hearts was left to bear a heavy burden on her young shoulders all on her own.

Part of her heart had had died with her father during the Kagutsu Crater Tragedy, and now, as she held her mother in her arms for the very last time, another part of her died again when she saw the light in her beautiful eyes going out forever.

Naricia didn't know how long she had stayed like that, holding her mother who looked like she was only sleeping, even though the young girl knew she would never wake again; she neither noticed the rising, nor the setting of the sun, any more than she felt the heat and chill that came and went with its journey across the sky.

 _ **She only knew that her mother was gone just like her father, and she was alone in the world.**_

* * *

Despite her broken heart, Jin Habari's young daughter eventually emerged from her shock, realizing that her mother needed to be laid to rest. Her heart numb and broken from the loss of another bright light in her life, Naricia went about creating a funeral pyre, and when it was finally finished on the evening of the second day since her mother had breathed her last, the young girl gently lay her mother atop the small structure, before breathing a soft prayer for her mother's eternal rest beside her father, and set it ablaze with a box of matches she had managed to grab during the confrontation with Mizuchi. Despite the blisters and cuts on her hands, Naricia dug a small trench around the pyre where her mother lay to prevent the flames from spreading out, and causing a forest fire. When her mother's body had finally turned into ash, Naricia gathered all her ashes in the shawl that had belonged to her, making sure to secure it carefully so that none of the ashes spilled before changing into her swan form and flying to the funeral parlor that handled the necessary details for members of Scepter 4. Upon her request – with additional payment – Naricia had her mother's ashes placed in an urn, and placed in the compartment that also held her father's remains; Nayara's name was added to the plaque that marked her husband's resting place, her picture identifying her beside him.

All of this had been done with the greatest discretion, thanks in part to the funeral director being a taciturn man who never asked questions, and only did his job. He allowed her to remain in the mausoleum after her mother's ashes were interred so she could say goodbye, and when she had done so, she left the shadows of the crypt, glancing back one last time as the gates were closed.

When the funeral director left her alone, she changed into her swan form and flew back to the house where she would spend her first night alone without her mother.

Naricia moved like a zombie – and perhaps she was – as she went about making sure that the doors and windows were locked before turning off the lights and going upstairs. She stood under the hot spray of the shower for hours, the chill within her so intense that she was unable to find even a measure of warmth as the water flowed over her.

She cried her heart out, and kept on crying as the night wore on, the cold feelings of loneliness and grief finally set in.

 _ **Her father was gone.**_

 _ **Her mother was gone.**_

 _ **Both of them were gone.**_

 _ **She was all alone…**_

* * *

She remained lying in bed for three days, only moving to pick up a picture of her and her parents from the bedside table, and place it next to her where she could see it. She would sleep and wake alternately, but she never moved from where she lay, her grief and loss eating at her.

It was only on the third day when her cramping stomach forced her to rise from her place on the bed, and find something to eat that she took the first steps needed to stand on her own, and begin the slow process of healing – if that was even possible. It had been five days since her mother died, and Naricia felt so lost.

She ate slowly, giving her stomach time to adjust to the presence of food within it, and once she was done, she showered, and headed out to see her aunt, Temari. As much as she disliked her aunt, and vice versa, she was still family; she had a right to know that her estranged sister was gone.

She arrived at Temari's house before lunch, dressed in black. When she caught sight of her aunt as the latter emerged from the house, she felt a familiar chill of unease as the woman's eyes fixed on her, and her funereal attire.

As quickly as she could, Naricia relayed the news about her mother's passing before turning and leaving her aunt standing where she was, the woman's cold, empty eyes frightening her with every moment that passed. Temari hadn't shown the slightest amount of grief following the revelation that her sister was dead, or any concern for her niece who was now an orphan; if she had shown any of those emotions, Naricia might have given her the benefit of the doubt, even considered trying to form a relationship with her estranged aunt, but none of it was to be.

The grieving daughter returned to her home, memories of her mother still fresh in her mind, and present everywhere she turned; many times, she expected her mother to come in through the front door, or emerge from one of the rooms in the house, her heart breaking all over again when she saw that her mother was nowhere to be found, and she would never come back.

It was almost two weeks from the day Nayara died in her arms that Naricia made herself pick up the pieces, and try to put them back together. She went about her daily chores like before, only this time, reminding herself that she had to stand on her own now; she also made sure to use the secret way of earning money that her mother had taught her when she was alive to supplement her income until she was old enough to take up her mother's part time job of sketching people in the park ( while keeping her face obscured ), and studying from home.

In the midst of her home schooling and sketching in the park, Naricia also made sure to practice using her powers – something her mother had instilled in her at a young age; not only did she practice using and controlling her powers, she made sure to sharpen her fighting skills.

Ever since she was a child, both her parents – and later her mother – made sure to remind her never to abuse her power, and only use them when necessary; her mother told her that there would come a day that she had to use either her power, or her fighting skills, or maybe even both to survive, so she should never let her guard down.

She rarely visited her estranged aunt, and when she did, it was clear that she wasn't welcome; her aunt's somewhat creepy behavior often prompted Naricia to leave almost immediately. Years of constantly looking over her shoulder taught her to always be on her guard, and when she noticed that Temari became more aggressive when questioning her on where she and her mother had been staying when the latter was alive, and where she was now hiding, the young Strain knew that something was wrong. It didn't take a doctorate in psychology to know that there was an ulterior motive behind Temari's constant barrage of the same questions, and in the end, barely six months after she lost her mother, Naricia stopped visiting her aunt altogether.

One day when she was fourteen going fifteen, and long after she had stopped visiting her aunt, she learned the truth about why she had kept on badgering her to reveal her whereabouts. Deciding to see if her aunt had changed for the better, the young girl decided to go and visit Temari, half expecting her to ambush her with her questions.

What she found when she arrived was that the inside of the house looked like it had been hit by a tornado, and her aunt was nowhere to be found.

There was a note above the fireplace addressed to Naricia. When she opened it, the note informed her that Temari was being held captive by the Gold Clan's mad scientist, Koshi Mizuchi at the Strain Educational Center in Nanakamado, and he would release her aunt in exchange for her.

She knew that place, although she had never been inside; it was a place of nightmares under the control of the Gold Clan that used a cancer treatment center as a front to hide their own nefarious activities. Many a Strain had been brought there after being " arrested " by Scepter 4 and handed to the Gold Clan to do as they pleased, never to be seen again. Even though Naricia had never been to the place, she knew that the Strains who had the misfortune of catching Mizuchi's eye was brought to that place and _destroyed_ all for the sake of his self serving experiments, many of them never surviving the torture inflicted upon them. It would not have surprised her if that was where she and her mother would have ended up if they had not escaped following her father's death.

 _ **Now, Temari was being held there, and Mizuchi was doing only God knew what to her until Naricia submitted to his demands.**_

Naricia wasn't going to lie to herself; she held next to no affection for her selfish aunt, but she was the only family that she had, despite the wide gulf that separated them, and she couldn't just leave her to suffer at the hands of the bastard who had killed her mother.

 _ **She had to do something.**_

 _ **Somehow, she would save her aunt.**_

* * *

Trying to ignore the fear that made her tremble, Naricia headed out to the Nanakamado facility, but something stopped her along the way.

The undeniable sense of grief and loss – feelings that she was all too familiar with – seemed to explode and spread in the area around her, and when they struck her, she felt her heart break again as memories that she knew weren't her own began assailing her.

" _**Anna! "**_

 _A tall man lifting a beautiful little girl with snow white hair and violet tinted, ruby eyes into the air above him, his face alight with the love and joy that only a father who loved his child could feel…_

" _**Anna! "**_

 _A woman with the same white hair embracing the same girl she had seen, the look on her face just like the man from before._

It was a look Naricia knew too well, for those looks had been on the faces of her parents when they were alive, those precious memories locked away in her own broken heart.

All those memories, along with flashes of an all too familiar face that had filled her nightmares, his cruel, spider like eyes alight with greed and excitement when he realized what her power was – flashed in her mind; he was telling the little girl's parents that there was something wrong with her brain, and she needed to be left at the facility in Nanakamado to be treated for her " condition ", but when she was leaving with her parents so that they could get her clothes from the house so she could have something to wear at the hospital, Anna had told her parents that she didn't want to go there because she wasn't sick, and the doctor that they had spoken with wanted to do strange and scary experiments on her because he knew that she had a power that he wanted to use.

 _ **Koshi Mizuchi…**_

 _A woman with a sad look on her face holding the little girl in her arms, telling her that there had been an accident, and her parents were gone._

 _Anna's world collapsing at the news, and her attempts to close her heart to those around her because she felt that it was her power that had caused her parents' deaths…_

One detail that had caught her attention had been that in all the visions she had seen, everything was a monochromatic black and white; the only color that was clear was the color red.

Naricia gasped and opened her eyes to find that she was sitting on the ground, her breath almost gone from her as several people on the sidewalk clutched at their throats, uttering cries of pain and sorrow, tears streaming down their faces before collapsing.

 _ **Anna…?**_

She didn't know the girl, although she had inadvertently seen some of her memories – things that ordinary people wouldn't understand because they lacked the capacity to understand the world hidden in their midst.

 _ **Did I see and understand those memories because I'm a Strain just like her?**_ Naricia wondered. _**If her emotions had overflowed, and affected those around her – including me – could that mean that she's nearby?**_

The girl knew that the only way to find out was to follow the trail of people who were collapsing. She ran through the streets, following the overflowing emotions, while at the same time, releasing her powers of nullification to wipe away the danger that those feelings were causing the people she passed.

Naricia could feel those emotions becoming stronger the more that she ran, and finally, after two blocks, she found the one whose young soul had been wounded by the greedy ambition of the one who had been responsible for her own loss.

She was barely more than a child – around six to seven years old. The girl was dressed in a frilly blue dress, her doll like face contorted in grief, her eyes overflowing with tears. Those eyes widened as Naricia approached her, and just as her arms went around her, Anna's emotions caused her to collapse in her embrace.

The Strain whose eyes were the deep blue tinted with violet tightened her hold on the child in her arms, her knees buckling under her weight, and causing her to sit on the pavement while keeping her precious cargo off the cement. They remained like that for what seemed like a long time on the empty street in the approaching darkness of twilight, Naricia's locked up feelings also beginning to overflow as she felt an undeniable maternal protectiveness and tenderness for the child in her arms blossom, the emotions so intense that she trembled. Adjusting Anna's weight so that she was half lying on her lap with her head pillowed on her shoulder, the older girl concentrated her power on her to negate the harmfulness of those feelings so the little girl would be free to release them without having to bear the burden of being dangerous to anyone.

Perhaps the unconscious girl in her arms had inadvertently sent out a cry for help while running, or perhaps it was because the memories that she had released were all too familiar to Naricia, which was why she had run to find her; either way, their meeting would seal the emotional connection that tied both of them together despite the different paths that they would take.

The power that she had to use to negate the effects of Anna's emotions was immense, and as she tried to remove those effects without affecting her other abilities, Naricia could feel the toll that it was beginning to take on her. The severity that she was trying to fight began washing over, making the surface of her skin tender, pain attacking her senses until she felt like she was being burned by liquid fire being poured over her.

She could feel her strength draining, her body weakening, but still, she persevered.

 _ **Anna shouldn't be denied her right to feel her emotions because of how dangerous they can be if released,**_ Naricia thought. _**I don't have the right to take her ability from her because there may be a time that she will need it, but at least, I can protect her from the price she will have to pay for releasing them when they become too much for her.**_

To those who knew nothing of clans, it looked like the sunlight and starlight locks of the teenage Strain were being lifted by a slight breeze even if there was no wind blowing; to those like her, and those who belonged to different clans, the azure colored aura that marked her as a member of the Blue Clan surrounded her and the child she held as she tried to endure the pain that was spreading throughout her body.

 _ **Come on,**_ she prayed – although she didn't know to who she was praying, or if anyone who heard her would even care - as the world began to fade in and out of focus as her power took its toll on her body. _**Please… let me do this for her**_ …

 _ **Please…**_

She knew that she had succeeded the pain began to abate slightly, although she felt like the veins and muscles in her limbs were going to be torn apart as she slowly rose to her feet. She remained standing for a long moment with Anna in her arms, trying to orient herself, the pain in her body eventually becoming bearable enough for her to move without her having to worry about collapsing. Wincing at the pain that tore through her, Naricia was about to carry her in the direction of the school where she saw from one of her memories that Anna's aunt, Honami Kushina, worked as a teacher when the sound of sirens blaring reached her ears; even without seeing them, she knew that they belonged to Scepter 4, and they were heading to where she was.

Quickly, she tried to carry Anna to a place where she could change into her swan form without being seen, and bring her back to her aunt, however, just as she took her first step forward, her surroundings began to spin, and she felt herself falling.

 _ **She only had enough time to turn so that Anna wouldn't hit the ground.**_

* * *

It would have been so easy to say that she wanted to vomit when she opened her eyes because she still felt nauseated, and everything was a merry go round of bright colors that made her head hurt, however, that wasn't the truth.

What made her sick was that she was in a room with a short rectangular table and three chairs – two sofa like chairs that were side by side, and another on the opposite end of the said table. On it was a map, and three red marbles.

Naricia was seated on the sofa chair that was on the right, and when she turned her head, she found herself looking at the little girl she had met in the street, and tried – but failed – to help.

Anna was still unconscious, and Naricia hoped that she stayed that way so she wouldn't have to witness any kind of nightmare that was being committed in this place, which without her being told, she knew was the place that she considered to be Frankenstein's domain and house of horrors.

Slowly, Naricia rose from her chair and made her way to where Anna was, taking one slow step at a time since her body still hurt from earlier. When she reached the seat, she bent down, and gathered the precious child in her arms. Anna opened her eyes then, those violet tinted ruby pools seeming to see straight into her soul; Naricia was glad she had found her. She could feel the little albino's fear, and wondered if her own feelings had overflowed so that they were contagious, her arms tightening protectively around Anna when the door opened.

When Koshi Mizuchi entered the room barely five minutes later – his spider like eyes flashing with delight and excitement, he wasn't alone; Temari was with him, her smile cold just as her eyes were empty as they focused on the niece she had betrayed.

Naricia understood then: Temari had been working with Mizuchi in order to capture her estranged sister and niece, thus her constant badgering the two with questions as to where they were hiding, the task focused solely on Naricia now that she was an orphan, however, since she was quite skilled at evading the Gold Clan, she proved quite difficult to catch; when pursuing her following her mother's death proved quite fruitless after she went back into hiding, Mizuchi had suggested setting a trap by pretending that Temari had been kidnapped in order to lure her estranged niece to the facility.

Temari spoke upon seeing her niece's expression, revealing that she had always hated her and Nayara because she had loved Jin Habari at the same time as her; the Blue King, however, he had chosen Nayara over her, and Naricia had been the result.

 _ **She obviously didn't understand that the Blue King had loved Nayara because she wasn't selfish like Temari.**_

Any love Naricia might have felt for her aunt, along with the slight hope that they could mend their relationship and become a family died then; she now no longer considered Temari her aunt, but a monster on the same level as Mizuchi and the rest of the Gold Clan.

Mizuchi then revealed his plans to turn her or Anna into the Blue King since that was the throne that was vacant, and she already possessed the Blue Aura, although the child with her possessed the ability of perception. He spoke as if his intentions were for her own good, but Naricia knew better; he had long hunted her and her mother down because he was a mad scientist who considered himself a god, and like her grandparents when they were alive, he had wanted to be able to manage the Dresden Slates.

 _ **Now that Naricia had fallen into his trap, he intended to use her power, combined with Anna Kushina's in order to access the Dresden Slates, and wield their power.**_

Naricia didn't speak when Mizuchi mentioned Anna; she hugged her close, praying that she could get the little girl away from here, and back to the safe arms of her aunt and the Red Clan ( as she had seen Anna's interactions with them from one of her memories ), and that Mizuchi would not be able to touch her.

He ordered her brought to the laboratory where he would break her down so that she would no longer defy him before using her and Anna to sync with the Slates to see which one of them could be made the Blue King, while the other would be made into another of the Seven Kings, or another addition to his collection of freakish minions.

 _ **He refused to believe that the Slates chose the different Kings on their own, when they deemed the time right; he believed that he could force one or both of the girls who were his desired targets to sync with the Slates to make a King of his own choosing.**_

As she and Anna were brought to the lab, Mizuchi and Temari in tow, Naricia set the child down, placing herself between her and the mad scientist who had been responsible for the ones they loved. The girl made her stand and unleashed her Blue Aura to shield her and Anna, along with her powers to nullify those of her captives, and those who came as their backup, rendering them powerless. It wasn't temporary, either; she had held back when using her ability on Anna in order for her to still be able to retain her perception, although she would now be able to release her stronger emotions without harming others, but with Mizuchi and his henchmen, she negated their powers permanently. Her cancelling out their abilities meant that even if they were to be initiated by any King – even their own if they had any – they would still be ordinary people; they would have no aura, or special powers until the day they died, no matter what they tried.

With Anna, there had been a lot of pain when Naricia had worked to nullify the side effects of her emotions since she was careful not to take her ability away from her, which had exposed her to the painful effects it would have had had she not taken action, however, with Mizuchi and those who sided with him, there was none since she wasn't holding back.

As soon as Mizuchi and his army of freaks were disabled, Naricia picked Anna up in her arms, and moved away from her would be captors, her blue aura shielding them from those who were trying to harm them.

She held them off using both her parents' abilities as she tried to find a way out, only to have a hole blown in the ceiling above them, heralding the entrance of the Red King, and injuring the enemy. Not surprisingly, Anna knew the man, and after she had run to him, he told her to stay back, oblivious to the older girl with her amidst the threats being hurled at her by the mad scientist.

As Mikoto Suoh activated his sanctum, Naricia changed into her swan form, and Anna climbed onto her back, holding on for dear life as she ascended through the hole that had marked the Red King's arrival. A glance behind her showed that a giant slab of concrete had crushed Temari to death, while Mizuchi's other henchmen lay injured all around him.

Ignoring Mizuchi's demands for both girls to come back to him, Naricia continued her upward flight, and when they reached ground level, Anna pointed out a sandy haired young man who seemed to be with the ones who had come to rescue her. After being assured that Anna would be safe with them, Naricia changed into her human form, and set the little girl down, taking the time to bid her goodbye before changing back into her winged form, and leaving.

 _ **She felt nothing for the aunt who had so heartlessly betrayed her and her mother, but she was glad that Anna was alright….**_

* * *

Naricia was devastated when she heard the news that Honami Kushina's memories of Anna, and that the little girl was her niece had been wiped away by the Usagi following the collapse of the facility in Nanakamado.

Koshi Mizuchi had escaped despite the cancellation of his powers, and the severe injuries he had sustained at the hands of the Red King, so Naricia knew that it wasn't over, and he would reappear someday; she and Anna were still under threat.

However, Anna had been taken in by the Red Clan, and been made a clansman by Mikoto Suoh, something that seemed to be marked by the frilly red and black dress she now wore, so Naricia knew that as long as she was with them, Mizuchi couldn't get to her so easily, if at all.

As an investigation into the destruction of the Nanakamado facility was launched, the nefarious activities of the Gold Clan – mainly their inhumane experiments of various " special foreigners " – were uncovered, placing each and every member in hot water, causing many to question the credibility of the Gold King, and whether he should still be the one to control the Dresden Slates.

At least now, the Gold Clan was exposed for what it really was – greedy, dishonorable, and cruel behind the façade of nobility that it tried to maintain in the face of the public. Many prominent government officials who were known to be connected to them were arrested, others forced to resign in shame; those who would not face the consequences of their actions took their own lives to avoid the humiliation that they knew was to come.

Still, Naricia was heartbroken at the revelation that the only family member Anna had no longer remembered her thanks to the machinations of the Gold Clan in order to cover up what they had done. After learning that Anna was now staying at the HOMRA bar that was the Red Clan's base of operations, Naricia went to visit her in her swan form one night, leaving gifts on the windowsill before the little girl entered her room to go to bed.

 _ **Please,**_ she prayed. _**Keep her safe…**_

She didn't know if He could hear her, or if He cared.

 _ **Still she prayed…**_

 _ **She prayed for Anna's safety…**_

 _ **She prayed that they would be able to meet again…**_

 _ **She prayed that one day, the nightmare would be over…**_


	4. Revelation of Identity

Naricia made sure to keep herself between Anna and the three men who were no longer a part of her father's Clan as they tried to corner them.

In her eyes, the mere sight of these men, and the knowledge of what they had done, what they **_hadn't_** done, and allowed to happen – was enough to make her sick because they had disgraced her father's name, and everything he had stood for.

Before the eyes of the young Strain she had saved, and the former Blue Clansmen, the teenager's azure colored aura flared up, and Anna squeezed the older girl's hand as she was pulled out of the dreamlike memory of when they had first met, an involuntary shudder of fear shaking her tiny body; her friend turned slightly to look at her, her beautiful features softening slightly from their usual melancholic, almost expressionless mask with a hint of a smile meant to reassure her that everything was going to be alright as she squeezed her hand gently.

As the two girls were surrounded by the circle of swords that had served as their shield, and weapons, five souls felt the silence in their surroundings that was reminiscent to the calm before the storm.

 ** _This is…_**

The Sword of Damocles belonging to the Blue King manifested in the sky, its presence drawing the eyes of those who could see them. Its formation was like lightning tearing apart a calm blue sky as a fierce storm finally showed its face, its message clear.

 ** _Scepter 4 was on its way._**

No sooner did the thought cross her mind when the sounds of screeching tires, followed by booted feet striking the cement pavements and cobblestones as they headed in their direction met her ears through the trees, along with commands being shouted.

 ** _Damn._**

* * *

Feelings of foreboding because she would be discovered, and relief that the men in front of her would be arrested warred within her as she and her opponents were surrounded moments later by men in blue, although their uniforms were of a different style from her father's day.

" Halt! " an authoritarian voice commanded. " You are surrounded by Scepter 4! Drop your weapons now! "

Gen Shiotsu and the Minato twins would **_never_** drop their weapons, and Naricia… well, she wasn't holding anything since her weapons were floating above the ground, circling and protecting them from the trio that was obviously wanted by the new Blue Clan.

The irony of the order wasn't lost on those present. Naricia and Anna exchanged a look; if the situation hadn't been so serious, the two Strains would have thought the order being delivered by the blonde haired woman in a too short skirt who had appeared to be leading the squad that apprehended the three men after a brief struggle pretty funny.

The sight of the two girls – one of them known to Scepter 4 – facing the three fugitives who had been causing trouble for various Strains who had been trying to live their lives, was enough to confirm the Blue Clan's suspicions about the severity of the situation. It was further exacerbated by the fact that the girl in the white dress was clearly a Strain since Anna Kushina didn't possess the ability to summon weapons from out of thin air, and she didn't know how to use them.

Naricia didn't need to be a genius to know what she had to do. Reining her powers in, her weapons disappeared in a flash of blue starlight before she stepped back, and put her arms around Anna, holding her close.

 ** _Papa had wanted a world where families –_** **_ordinary and with power – could walk and be a part of without having to look over their shoulders for fear that it would be taken away,_** she thought sadly. **_He wanted a world where Mama and I could be safe, where we could be happy._**

 ** _It was a world that the three of us desired…_**

 ** _A world where we could be together…_**

 ** _But a world that would never be…_**

Anna wound her arms around Naricia's waist as she felt her friend's inner turmoil beginning to rise, almost distracting her from the danger that surrounded them.

She could feel the despair that had threatened to consume the older girl time and again swirling within her, and it hurt her to see that part of the reason for it was due to her wish that Anna didn't have to go through the pain of losing her family due to the selfish desires of others.

" Naricia… "

 ** _She's just like me,_** Anna thought sadly. **_But she has a heavier burden to carry because she's the daughter of a Strain and a King._**

Naricia trembled slightly, and a deep sigh left her as her arms tightened around her, although she made sure not to hurt her. Anna hugged her back, warmed by her motherly touch, but also worried for her since she knew that today's episode would bring her to the attention of the authorities.

 ** _And yet…_**

Naricia didn't know why she had felt a strange sense of calm mix with her feelings when she saw the Blue King's Sword of Damocles form in the late afternoon sky; perhaps it was because it was the same color of her aura, something that she hadn't seen in a long time. When she had been brought to Nanakamado, and caught sight of the three men who were now in handcuffs assisting Mizuchi in his madness, she felt like their auras were NOT blue, but had no color whatsoever.

Feeling tired, Naricia led Anna away from the crowd. They had just sat on a wooden bench when they felt an energy similar to the one earlier, although this time, more violent, as they witnessed its formation in the sky opposite the Blue King's.

" Mikoto… "

Anna heard the older girl breathe a deep sigh before the warm comfort of her embrace was slowly withdrawn, and the latter stood up.

" I guess that it's time for me to leave now, " she declared softly, her sadness obvious. As she turned to leave, Anna stood and grabbed her hand, unable to accept that her friend was leaving again as the last time she had seen her flashed in her mind's eye.

Naricia turned to her.

" Come and visit me sometime? " Anna asked, knowing it was selfish of her to ask that favor when it was obvious that the swan girl wasn't comfortable with the Red Clan thanks to the tragedy that had taken place ten years ago.

 ** _Still, she had to ask her._**

The older girl's eyes widened for a moment in surprise before she regained her composure, and cupped Anna's face between her hands. Naricia kissed her gently on the forehead, her emotions so intense, she almost trembled. " Of course, sweetheart, " she promised in her soft voice before releasing her. " But for now… "

HOMRA's little princess understood what her friend couldn't say: she had to leave, but this time, it wouldn't be for long.

 ** _She would see her soon._**

* * *

Anna watched quietly as her long lost friend whom she had found again turned and left. As she disappeared beyond the trees, she saw a flash of light before a white swan emerged above the trees, glancing at her before Naricia then turned to fly away, but just as she did, something seemed to catch her attention for a long moment. Anna turned around, and saw the Blue King, Reisi Munakata, watching the white swan with an intense look in his eyes. Their eyes held for a long moment before the swan finally turned and flew into the swiftly darkening sky.

As her friend flew away, Anna's surroundings slowly returned to their monochromatic black and white, and she knew that her friend was irrevocably tied to the man who was Mikoto's rival.

He had just arrived to witness the arrest of the Minato twins and their guardian, but the flash of light - so similar to his and that of his own clan – out of the corner of his eye, caught his attention, causing him to turn in time to see a white swan rise above the trees. The avian creature glanced back briefly, before turning to fly away. However, as it did so, its eyes caught sight of him, causing it to pause.

Even this far away, there was no mistaking those violet tinted, sandstone blue eyes that he had seen once before, on a quiet lake.

 ** _So,_** he thought as the swan finally disappeared into the distance, night spreading its own wings to mark its own reign. **_You are more than what you seem._**

Somehow, he wasn't surprised when he lowered his eyes, and found Anna Kushina watching him, her doll like face looking somewhat apprehensive.

" Captain. "

Hearing his second in command's voice, Munakata turned. " Yes, Awashima-kun? " he answered, the swan still on his mind, the wheels turning.

The buxom lieutenant saluted. " Earlier, there was a girl with Anna Kushina, " she reported. " She was able to manifest several swords in mid-air, and it seems that prior to our arrival, she was about to face off with the three men before we interfered. "

That caught his attention. " A girl? "

He remembered Anna Kushina's tense expression…

" But the girl seems to have disappeared, " Awashima continued, interrupting his thoughts. " We can't locate her. "

Suddenly, the pieces began to fall into place: the look on the Red Clan princess's face, the light behind the trees, the swan flying away…

" Anna! "

The Blue King wasn't surprised to find that the Red Clan, led by Mikoto Suoh, had arrived, and spread out. While the other members of both clans tensed, ready for a potential battle, Tatara Totsuka approached the child, putting his arm around her.

" Are you alright, Anna? "

The little albino nodded quietly before turning and glancing at the sky.

Munakata turned to his bored looking rival, the stench of cigarette smoke greeting him. He scowled. " Do not interfere in this, Suoh, " he warned darkly. " These men, " he indicated Gen Shiotsu and and the Minato twins, now in handcuffs, and not looking the least bit happy. " Are under arrest; they attempted to attack Anna Kushina, and it seems there was another girl – also a Strain – with her. "

The Red King's expression went from bored and indifferent to surprised, then annoyed. " Oh, really. "

The Blue King was getting annoyed. " Your little princess seems to know the young lady, " Munakata continued. " Perhaps she knows where to find her. "

Without waiting to hear what his rival had to say, the Blue King turned and strode purposefully towards the little girl with ruby eyes. She watched him silently, clearly apprehensive as she held Tatara Totsuka's hand, and he could hear the other Red Clansmen exclaiming in outrage as they watched him approach their princess.

" Anna! "

Misaki Yata made to intercept his approach, however, he hadn't been paying attention to where he had placed his skateboard because his foot caught, and he fell flat onto his face on the concrete.

" Ouch! "

The Captain of Scepter 4 ignored the pesky loudmouth, and when he was a few feet away from the little girl in the red dress, he saw her expression go from tense to puzzled. " Do you know the girl from earlier? " he asked her gently, not wanting to frighten her.

The Red Clan's little princess scrutinized him in a way that would have made a less experienced man squirm, but the Blue King held his ground, watching her calmly. Finally, Anna came out from her place behind Tatara.

" Yes, " she answered. " I do. "

Things were quite tense after Anna confirmed that she knew the girl the Blue Clan was searching for due to her part in the day's drama.

* * *

She was silent as Izumo drove, Mikoto in the front passenger seat. Tatara sat beside her in the back seat, and when they arrived at Scepter 4 Headquarters, the tension in the air was thick enough to touch.

Anna didn't want to tell Reisi Munakata about Naricia, because in doing so, she would only strengthen the ties that bound her friend, and the Blue King, but she knew that she couldn't keep it a secret, lest things get even worse. There was danger looming over the horizon, its eyes fixed on the lonely girl who had risked her life to save Anna, and although it wouldn't go away once Naricia was brought to the Blue Clan's sight, she was still safer in the place that had once been her home than alone, or with anyone else.

It hurt her to know that she couldn't protect Naricia the way the swan girl had her in that time that seemed so long ago and far away, but felt like it had happened only yesterday.

Izumo had warned everyone not to cause trouble, for it was obvious that the Blue King would not hurt Anna; he only needed to question her on what had happened today, and her friend who had disappeared.

Munakata entered his office followed by Lieutenant Awashima; Anna entered after them, Mikoto, Izumo, and Tatara following.

After they had all settled in the Japanese styled section of the office where the Blue King received his visitors, and tea was poured, the man who matched Mikoto in power and strength – albeit with much more self control – turned to her.

" I am aware that you are reluctant to speak about your friend since you fear that it will put her in more danger, " he stated calmly. " However, I can assure you that she has nothing to fear from me; I merely wish to know who she is, and why she left so abruptly. "

Ruby eyes met violet orbs. " She was the one who protected me from Koshi Mizuchi when I was taken to Nanakamado. "

The mention of the mad scientist who had brutally, and cunningly murdered her parents in such a way that it looked like an accident brought back many unpleasant memories for the members of the Red Clan, and the aftermath that was the loss of Anna's only other surviving family member – not by death, but by having all her memories of the little girl – and her place in her life – erased by the Usagi in an attempt to cover up what their clansmen had done.

But things hadn't remained quiet; on the contrary, the fall of the Nanakamado facility resulted in an investigation that uncovered the Gold Clan's crimes, the scandal rocking the country, and causing a public outrage that caused many to lose their faith in the government; officials with connections to the Gold Clan resigned in disgrace, and disappeared from the public eye, while others resorted to suicide.

Not that it was a big loss.

For the first time since that day, Anna told the people around her of the events that had taken place: how she had fled after overhearing Izumo and the others talking about her, and the reason for her parents' deaths, how her emotions had overflowed before a girl who looked like a princess from a fairy tale had heard her silent cry for help. She told everyone how she had collapsed in the girl's arms after seeing that she meant her no harm, despite the physical exhaustion and pain it had caused the latter, how she had awoken in Nanakamado to find herself safe in her arms. Anna revealed the betrayal of the older girl's aunt, and how they had come within a hair of being tortured as a result before she used her power to fight off the enemy until Mikoto and the others had arrived; she mentioned that the girl's traitorous aunt had died during the fight, and while the Red King fought Mizuchi's men, a swan had carried her to safety before disappearing into the night.

" She was the one who left those gifts for me, " Anna revealed, looking at the adults around her. She took a deep breath. " Earlier, I felt the danger closing in on her, and I had to warn her… "

" So that's why you ran out so suddenly, " Izumo mused, suddenly understanding the look of fear on the little girl's face before she had rushed out of the bar. " You were trying to warn her. "

Anna nodded. " Yes, " she confirmed. " I… wanted to help her. "

" You wished to repay the debt you felt that you owed her, " Munakata elaborated understandingly.

The little girl sighed. " I managed to warn her, " she lamented. " But once again, she protected me from those men. "

" Where is she now? " The Blue King asked.

Anna swallowed. " She's on her way home, " she answered. " She's been living there alone ever since her mother died, and she's gotten so used to it that she doesn't really know how to interact with people; it seems that everytime she does go out, she gets into trouble. "

" What is her name? " Munakata asked, well aware of the shadows that had spread outside the window, the feeling of urgency gnawing at him.

The little albino looked at him. " Her name is Naricia, " she answered. " She's blue, like you, and almost as powerful… " Her voice trailed off as Munakata seemed to be lost in thought for a long moment before he turned to Awashima. " Call Goki Zenjo, " he ordered.

* * *

When the one armed man arrived, his eyes moved to the little girl who had been the reason that he had been called to the new Blue King's office. God, she looked like a little doll brought to life, her ruby eyes showing the emotions that were absent from her beautiful face.

" Zenjo-san, " Munakata greeted him. " You were the right hand of my late predecessor, and privy to several details of his personal life. "

The man who had been known as the Blue Clan's demon enforcer scowled, but nodded in confirmation. " Yes, " answered. " That is correct. "

" Were you acquainted with anyone whom the late Jin Habari might have accepted into Scepter 4 despite their young age? " the Blue King pressed. " I am not referring to the Minato twins; perhaps someone younger… a girl. "

Memories of a woman and child laughing and smiling at the former Blue King flashed in Zenjo's mind, and his thoughts must have shown on his face, because the young man who had now risen to take the place of the one long gone didn't speak; he just waited, violet eyes revealing nothing.

The deep breath that the former right hand man of the late Jin Habari took sounded like the rumbling of a volcano before his amber eyes turned once more to the doll like child who had encountered the one he never thought that he would see again. " Was the girl able to turn into a swan? " he asked, taking care not to sound gruff.

The little albino nodded. " She looked like a princess from a fairy tale, " she added. " Whenever I was with her, I could see other colors – not just red – very clearly. It was as if she was pushing away my color blindness without trying… "

She kept her eyes on the man who had been forced to kill his closest friend in order to prevent a Damocles Down, feeling, but not paying any attention to the surprised looks that she received upon the revelation. " But when she was gone, " she continued. " I could only see the color red. "

 ** _She is that powerful?_** Munakata was almost in disbelief.

Zenjo's scowl softened at the little girl's words. " Was her name Naricia? "

Anna wasn't the least bit surprised that he knew. " Yes, " she answered. " And she was blue. "

For the first time, a gentle smile appeared on the ogre's face as fond memories that he thought long buried resurfaced. " So, " he mused. " She's still alive. " He looked at the little girl again. " Did you see her mother? Were they together? "

Anna looked away, pain filling her heart for her friend, for she knew how lonely Naricia had been since Nayara's death. " No, " she lamented. " Koshi Mizuchi, the man who wanted to turn me into the Blue King, and murdered my parents… he shot her, and she died in Naricia's arms. Naricia tried to save her, but couldn't, and her heart is broken because of that – along with losing her father all those years ago. "

" Zenjo-san? " It was Awashima who spoke this time. " Who is she? "

The one armed man scanned the faces of all those present in the office, his expression never changing despite the crushing pain at the revelation of Nayara's death. " Her name is Naricia Habari, " he revealed. " She is the daughter of the late Jin Habari, and his wife, Nayara Shirohana, a Strain with the ability to turn into a swan, and the power of nullification among others; Nayara Shirohana was known as the Swan Queen due to her ability. "

* * *

She sighed as she sank into the warm water of the tub, tired, and aching.

 _ **Anna is safe,**_ she thought to herself. _**Everything is alright.**_

Still, the Blue King's gaze when their eyes had met before she'd flown away told her that she needed to be more careful; he was no fool, and never would have been awakened to the position he held if he was.

 _ **Despite telling herself that everything was alright because she knew that Anna was safe, she knew that the man whose eyes looked into her own would search for answers.**_

 _ **And he would find them…**_

 _ **He would learn who she was.**_

She trembled at the last thought…

* * *

She didn't really go out in the days that followed, feeling that if she did, she would be spotted and followed, something she didn't know if she could handle if the Blue King was involved.

Maybe she was just being paranoid, or she was becoming agoraphobic, or maybe she was just becoming a scaredy cat, but the thought of leaving the house, and possibly running into the Blue King, and the newly assembled Scepter 4 made her uneasy, especially since she had ended up leaving her art materials in the park following her meeting with Anna, and the run in with her father's former clansmen. The Blue Clan would definitely retrieve it, and take it away for evidence, and goodness knew where it would go from there.

Naricia hadn't been able to concentrate on the book she was trying to read, so she closed it and set it on the bedside table before rising to her feet, and moving to stand before her open bedroom window. She breathed in the mid-morning air, allowing the cool breeze to wash over her.

It had been two weeks since she had confronted the Minato twins and Gen Shiotsu, and she knew that she would have to go out sooner or later.

She sighed as she gazed out of the window. _**It can't be helped.**_

Trying not to be too nervous, she took a quick shower before changing into an embroidered white summer dress with a laced up front that showed only a hint of the matching camisole underneath. It had flared out, short sleeves, and she matched them with flat heeled, silver gladiator sandalsthat reached halfway up her shins. She bound her hair in a simple, loose braid, and brought a cream colored denim jacket with her, along with a small tote bag. After making sure that all the doors and windows were locked, she decided to take the path that led to the city, and walk, shielded by the heat of the sun by the parasol she brought with her.

* * *

It was almost noon, and she was sweating slightly when she reached the graveyard, a bouquet of fresh white lilies in her arms. Naricia knew where to go, she had been here many times, the last being at least a week before her near encounter with the newly built Blue Clan.

The mausoleum that held the ashes of fallen Blue Clansmen was quiet, as it should always be, the sound of the black iron gates sounding absurdly loud, and making her wince.

 _ **The caretaker should oil the hinges once in a while,**_ she thought, feeling irritated. She stepped inside, and closed the gate behind her, taking a moment to let her eyes adjust to the partial gloom, and coolness before making her way to the section that held the ashes of her parents.

When Naricia reached the said place, she removed the old bouquet of now withered white roses, cleaning the fallen brown petals before she lay down the lilies she'd brought.

" Mama, Papa, " she spoke softly. " I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. "

She proceeded to tell them of the new Blue King who had risen, and how she had seen him while she was in her swan form; she also told them of her chance encounter with Anna who had been on her way to warn her of the Minato twins, and Gen Shiotsu.

* * *

Naricia was no fool, and she remembered Gen Shiotsu well. She had known since she was a child that Gen Shiotsu had always been against his King marrying a Strain, and siring a child of mixed heritage; on more than one occasion, she had been in his office, holding his papers for him when the third in command would knock on the door, announcing his presence. Thanks to her small size, it was easy to hide behind his desk – sometimes at the Blue King's urging – and hear everything that was being said. The arguments would always start out in the usual manner of a subordinate addressing his superior, before turning into a debate that escalated into an argument. The words were different, but the tone, and gist were always the same: his wife and daughter were both Strains with immense power that could prove destructive if not properly contained, and it would be best to hand them over to the Strain Centre in Nanakamado where they could be kept in check rather than risk the safety of Scepter 4, along with civilians by keeping them at headquarters. Her father would then remind Shiotsu that he is talking about _**his wife**_ and _**his daughter**_ , both of whom he loved more than his own life; neither he nor the Gold King, or _**anyone else**_ for that matter, had any right to make those demands, because his answer would always be the same, and he would _**kill anyone**_ who tried to take them from him – whether it was another King, or his own clansmen for that matter; Gen Shiotsu would never understand since he didn't have any children of his own. After angrily dismissing his third in command from his office, her father would quietly sit in his chair, trying to blow off some steam and calm down.

On more than one occasion, the arguments between the two frightened Naricia, and her father would find her trying to hide her sobs after his third in command's footfalls faded away. He would pick her up, and she would start crying, afraid that the Gold Clan, or someone else, would come to take her and her mother away; worse, she was afraid that her father would let them.

She would never know how the sight of her frightened face, and the tears she shed tore at the Blue King's heart, making him feel helpless, for despite being able to face so many dangers without flinching, none of them were as bad as the sight of his innocent daughter's tears. It would be a while before her tears would subside, but even then, Naricia remained traumatized and afraid; her parents could see it in the way that she was constantly silent, and how she held onto them, as if they would disappear if she let go.

The final argument between the two had taken place mere days before the tragedy that would end her world as she knew it. It had been the worst argument between the two men by far, and had resulted in both of them coming into blows, which Goki Zenjo had to break up. Right there and then, her father dismissed his third in command from Scepter 4, telling him that he had no place in his clan.

Gen Shiotsu left in disgrace, but with a threat that Naricia never forgot:

 _ **One day, your defiance towards His Excellency's demands will be paid for by those Strains!**_

Her mother had told her when she was seven that Gen Shiotsu had returned to Scepter 4 mere days after the Kagutsu Crater Tragedy upon the orders of the Gold King, and had been running the said clan like a manager running a theatre, for under the Gold Clan's rule, Jin Habari's once noble and honorable clan had become nothing more than a freak show, former clansmen nothing more than puppets at their command.

* * *

Anna and Tatara were returning from buying some new clothes when she felt a tingling at the back of her neck that told her that both of them were being followed. When she glanced behind her, she saw a girl who looked to be one or two years older than Naricia following them, her eyes trained directly on her.

The little albino felt a frisson of fear running through her, for she could feel the aura of evil and insanity that the girl was emanating, although the other people on the street couldn't feel it; she also saw that the girl was working for the rogue members of the Gold Clan, Koshi Mizuchi being one of them, and she was following her and Tatara simply because she was looking forward to torturing them until their last breath. She reached for Tatara's hand, only to find herself gripping an empty space, and when she turned to where he was supposed to be, he wasn't there.

 _ **They had gotten separated, and she was alone.**_

Anna turned left and right, trying to find him, but he wasn't there, and she couldn't pinpoint where he was with her senses.

" Tatara… "

The girl must have realized that Anna was alone, because she began to pick up her pace, intent on reaching her.

 _ **Anna turned and ran.**_

As she ran, she felt as if she had stepped back in time to when she had last gone without direction; the last time she had been this scared, she had opened her eyes to find that she was in a place of pain and darkness, when the man who had destroyed her world had almost succeeded in getting his hands on her.

And like before, she suddenly felt the familiar presence that had once saved her nearby. Ducking into an empty alley, she ran towards it, praying that she wasn't going to cause more trouble, and that she could reach it in time.

 _ **Naricia…**_

 _ **Help me…**_

* * *

It came like a voiceless whisper on the wind, but she heard it either way, and it caused her to stop in her tracks.

She had felt this once before, this silent cry for help, and as she listened, she heard the rapid clicking of heels on cement in an alley just ahead of her on the right. Hesitantly, she took a few steps towards the mouth of the alley where the sound was emanating from, wondering if she was a fool walking into a trap, or if…

Barely had the thought managed to complete itself when a flash of smooth white and frilly red burst from the place she had just reached, and she instinctively shot a hand out, grabbing Anna by the wrist just in time to make the little girl do a semi counter clockwise spin that brought her into her arms.

" We really have to stop meeting like this, " she commented somewhat drily as she moved her away from where they had almost collided. " I – "

Her words trailed off when Anna raised her face to hers, and she saw the sheer terror in the child's eyes that stopped her short. " What's wrong? " she asked, a feeling of foreboding beginning to creep up her spine.

" Someone's after me! " Anna gasped. " I got separated from Tatara… "

Movement from where they had been standing mere moments ago caught Naricia's eye, and she looked up in time to see a girl with wild, dark brown hair and insane eyes of the same color burst out from the alley. That was all she had time to comprehend before the said girl lunged at her and Anna, a sharp Masamune blade in her hand.

Naricia tightened her grip on Anna, and spun around to protect her from the assault aimed at them, the sound of metal slicing through the air dangerously close to her head ringing in her ears.

" Why you..! "

Her right foot lashed out behind her as she turned, and connected with her attacker's diaphragm, knocking the air from her lungs. Naricia was satisfied to hear the surprised grunt upon impact, even though she felt it all the way to her bones, and as she released Anna, she turned to face her opponent.

" Why are you after her, and what do you want?! " she demanded, more angry than apprehensive.

The girl glared angrily at her, chest heaving before she became utterly still, and a chilling, bloodthirsty smile twisted what would have been a beautiful face. " I was going to tell you not to get in my way, " she retorted. " But then again… "

It was all Naricia could do not to vomit what little she had eaten when the brown eyed girl _**licked**_ the blade of her weapon. " Once I'm done with you, " she continued, her eyes glittering with anticipation as they moved to Anna. " I'll take my time, and have fun with that little doll behind you. "

If Naricia had been glaring barely a second ago, the look in her eyes now became a death glare that could have struck the other girl dead where she stood, the thought of even just one hair on Anna's innocent head filling her with anger.

 _ **She would NOT let that happen.**_

" Stay away from her, " she hissed, summoning her power, and shielding Anna with a dome of blue light as her own swords manifested in a circle around her. She gripped the rapier she had become so used to wielding before taking a step forward, determined to protect Anna .

She spoke over shoulder, never taking her eyes off the killer in front of her. " I'll get you back to HOMRA, " she promised. " I'll end this quickly. "

Anna gripped her hands in front of her chest, fearing for her friend's life, but also knowing that she would not stop until she was safe.

It was never clear who moved first, but then again, did it matter? When both girls clashed, it was more than just physical; Anna could feel the force of the battle as both females danced a dance of death, Naricia's beautiful, starlight touched sunlight flying behind her as she clashed with the one sent by those still loyal to Mizuchi to finish both of them off. The other girl was taller, more fit, her weapon's reach much longer compared to Naricia's fragile, graceful appearance, but Anna's friend had a quiet strength and determination within her that refused to let her ever give in.

 _ **She was going to make sure that Anna was safe, if it was the last thing she did.**_

* * *

" Wait.. _**what?!**_ "

Tatara winced at Yata's high pitched yell, followed by the sound of Fushimi clicking his tongue in annoyance.

" How did _**that**_ happen?! " Yata demanded.

Tatara sighed, and raked his fingers through his hair. " I thought she was beside me since I had my arms full," he explained. " When I saw that she wasn't I thought that she might have taken a short cut, and she was already here… "

Kusanagi inhaled sharply, and pulled on his coat. " We'd better find her, " he decided, pulling on his coat before making his way to the entrance, and putting up the CLOSED sign.

Tatara tried not to think about what might happen to Anna, all alone, with no one knowing where she was.

Everyone was on board with Kusanagi's decision, the sounds of chairs scraping on the floor as they were pushed back while the other HOMRA members rose to their feet.

The entire time this was happening, the Red King, Mikoto Suoh, had risen to his feet, crushing his cigarette in his fist before dropping it into the ashtray on the coffee table.

" Let's move. "

* * *

" The suspect has been spotted not far from the Akihabara district, and was following Anna Kushina. "

Munakata nodded at the latest feedback he had received regarding the female assassin who had caught Scepter 4's attention thanks to having killed almost fifteen people in the past nine days; whatever little evidence had been gathered revealed that she was a Strain with the ability to paralyze her victims wherever they were before she proceeded to torture them to death; it was also revealed that she was working with the rogue members of the Gold Clan, thus the Blue Clan had been notified, and were now searching for her. Just a few minutes ago, she had been spotted following Anna Kushina, the sole female member of the Red Clan; it baffled the Blue King as to why the child had been on her own, given her status, and now that there was a killer on her heels…

The Captain of Scepter 4 rose to his feet. " We will apprehend the suspect on sight, " he declared. " Use force if necessary, however, remember that we are to take her into custody. "

The men saluted. " Yes, Sir! "

* * *

The sound of approaching sirens reached Naricia's ears just as she darted to the right, and deflected the blade with her own sword.

 _ **I need to finish this quickly and get Anna back to her place.**_

Blades clashed, and as she found herself quite close to the girl who was threatening Anna, Naricia got creative, and gave her psycho opponent a head butt that left both of them seeing stars before the latter reeled back, and collapsed flat on her back, moaning.

 _ **Okay,**_ Naricia admitted silently as she staggered back, her surroundings spinning, and stars exploded in front of her before she landed on her backside. _**Not exactly a smart move…**_

She glanced at Anna when her vision cleared, and found the little, girl's face was no longer still like that of an emotionless doll; Anna was watching her apprehensively from behind her shield, her little hands pressed against the azure barrier.

 _ **Hang on, sweetie.**_

In response to Naricia's silent assurance, Anna's already enormous eyes moved past her, widening even more, the sight making the older girl stiffen where she sat.

Naricia saw the shadow closing in on her even though she didn't turn around, and as it raised the weapon above its head, she made her move. Gathering her feet under her, she turned and launched herself at the one who created the shadow, ramming her other shoulder into the attacker's chest, steel clashing against steel as two blades met before the latter lost her grip on her weapon. The sound of tires screeching to a halt met her ears, and Naricia could see the sunlight reflecting off the blade of the sword that had been unwillingly released as it landed a few feet away. Not wasting any time, Naricia pointed her rapier at her opponent, the sharp tip glinting ominously mere centimeters from the space between her eyes before she stepped back.

" Don't even try it! " she warned with a calmness she was far from feeling as the sound of vehicle doors opening and closing were followed by those of booted feet on the hard asphalt. " Don't even breathe. "

The Blue King watched the exchange with interest as he stepped out of his vehicle, and his Clansmen circled the two female combatants. He and the rest of the Blue Clan had witnessed the ongoing battle between the two females upon turning the corner, and he had seen the petite girl with the pale, silver gold hair disarm her opponent before holding her at bay with her own sword. The girl's hair was loose, her shiny locks reflecting the light of the late afternoon sun, and as he took a step forward, the toe of his boot touched something soft. Munakata looked down, and found that he had stepped on a hair ribbon. Upon picking it up, he saw that it was light pink in color, and he knew that it had belonged to the young girl who had come out at the winning end of the fight with the Strain who they had intended to apprehend.

Several feet away, Anna Kushina was watching the two girls, a dome of blue light not unlike the shields used by the Blue Clan protecting her from the danger that was slowly fading back into its dark den.

The sight of the said shield piqued the interest of the Blue King, and he knew without a doubt that the girl with silver gilt hair was the one from last week.

 _ **The daughter of his late predecessor, and his Strain wife, who was known as the Swan Queen.**_

* * *

The familiar feeling of a Sword of Damocles forming in the sky rippled through Naricia as she heard an authoritative voice give the order for the men to apprehend her enemy, which surprised her since she wasn't the only Strain on the scene. She then stepped back and lowered her weapon, allowing it to dematerialize as the screaming banshee was apprehended with difficulty since she fought, bit and kicked at the men who were restraining her, brown eyes wild with an insane rage. Those eyes found her, and directed their hatred at her.

" I'll get you for this, little girl! " she threatened. " Just you wait! "

Naricia regarded her quietly, unfazed, and gave a nonchalant shrug, never taking her eyes off her. " You're welcome to try, " she answered simply before turning away, her dismissal obvious; even though she wouldn't admit it, she felt a sense of amused satisfaction in knowing that she had been the one to stop the psychopath in her tracks, and deliver the ultimate insult.

She knew that the girl had tried to use her ability on her during the fight, and although she didn't know what it was, she had known that it wasn't good; Naricia was glad she had used her own ability to nullify it so that they could fight on even ground.

She turned to go to Anna, lowering her shield as she did so, but before she could say anything, the little girl rushed towards her, colliding with her and almost knocking her to the ground as her arms went around her. Naricia staggered before straightening and getting her arms around Anna, surprised at the strength with which the little girl embraced her.

" Are you alright, sweetie? " Naricia asked gently. Anna nodded, and looked up at her, violet tinted ruby eyes wide. Naricia breathed a sigh of relief.

" Let's get you home, then. "

Slowly, she released Anna, and as they turned to go, she spotted the Blue King approaching, a woman in an extremely short skirt, and low necked blouse beside him.

Naricia didn't waste a moment. " Let's go! " She tugged on Anna's hand, and they both took off for the alley, paying no mind to the calls for them to stop.

As soon as they entered the alley, Naricia changed into her swan form, and Anna climbed onto her back before she rose in the air, careful of the child with her. She cleared the top of the alley before looking down, and saw the Blue King looking at her, just like before, only this time, it was different.

 _ **Because now, he knew who she was.**_


End file.
